Our Lives & Beyond: Book 1
by nikiallen0119
Summary: Thirteen year old orphaned twins, Jane and Jesse Richardson, never thought they could truly live happy lives again. Not ever since the deaths of their parents. One wish could simply change their lives forever... (Also available on Wattpad)
1. Prolouge

No... it could not be happening. This wasn't real. It was all a dream, and they would wake up soon.

Thirteen year old Jane Richardson repeatedly chanted those sentences over and over in her head. She stood by her twin brother, Jesse. Their eyes were red, puffy and tear laced as they stood outside, staring at the two coffins about to be buried under the dirt at the cemetery. Despite all the miracles the twins had prayed for, their beloved parents had still slipped away into death. For a time, there was hope in their hearts, that maybe, just maybe, their parents would recover, even after the life threatening accident they had endured. Oh how the Richardson twins remembered that fateful day. The crash. The feeling of tumbling this way and that as the car had turned on its hood was a complete and utter nightmare. They had been hit by a drunk driver after their parents had picked them up from school and were on their way home. The twins, both being in the back seat, had survived. The parents, however, were not so lucky. Their bodies were crushed from the car collapsing in on itself. The damage was done. It was hopeless to everyone, except for Jesse and Jane. They, for a time, believed with all of their hearts that their parents would survive. It was the most devastating feeling they had ever endured when they received the news about their parents' deaths. Now the funeral they were currently at was coming to an end. This was the true goodbye. But oh how it hurt.

Would they ever truly have a life again...?


	2. Chapter 1: This Sorrow We Endure

The words from the teacher went in one ear and out the other for Jane as she sat in her math class. Jesse was sitting next to her. It had been four months since the funeral, and yet nothing about their lives seemed to get any better. From behind her, someone handed Jane a note. She read it and tears instantly brimmed her eyes. Of course it wasn't the first time someone had handed her a note with a mean message written on it, but this one was the worst of them all. With hurt and anger, she crumpled up the piece of paper by clenching her hand into a fist before throwing it under her desk.

"Don't believe a word they say." Jesse whispered in Jane's ear, making her feel a bit better.

Once school was out, they hurried down the sidewalks, keeping quiet at first.

"Wanna stop at McDonalds for some French Fries?" Jesse asked as they made their way through town. He tried to crack a smile for his sister. Jane shook her head,

"No, we have to be at Ms. Krachet's house by 4:30. Dinner's earlier than usual today."

Ms. Krachet was the owner of the small foster home the Richardson twins had been living in for the past three and a half months. There were no relatives to be found to care for Jesse and Jane, and no one wanted to adopt teenagers. They believed they would be foster kids for life. Although Ms. Krachet could never be deemed a mean woman, she was strict and kept the twins on their toes.

After hurrying back, eating dinner, doing chores and homework, the twins were more than happy to be in bed. They laid in the room they shared, staying silent, but sleep would not accept them.

"Not a very good school day, huh?" Jesse finally broke the silence as he thought of the note his sister had received earlier in class.

"It was okay." Jane responded shortly. Jesse heaved a sigh,

"C'mon, sis, I know it bothered you to a certain extent. But those bullies are just a bunch of jerks! They're only jealous they can't be as awesome as you."

Jane giggled, "Thanks, Jess. But really, I'll be okay." A moment of silence followed and endured. Life had never been the same since the death of their parents. Living only seemed to get worse and less meaningful. The teasing at school continued to progress, and the work provided by Ms. Krachet never gave either of them time to cry over the matter. Jane hadn't cried since the funeral, and deep down, holding in the tears created an internal pain, making it feel like her chest would burst. And so she sobbed.

"Oh no, Jane, please don't cry!" Jesse soothed as he hopped out of bed to be by his twin sister's side in an instant, "I know you miss mom and dad. I do, too." Tears were now lacing his eyes. Jane sniffled,

"I-I don't... want to live a-anymore..." She choked out between her sobs, "Life seemed to die with our parents. T-There's nothing left f-for us."

"You can't say things like that, Jane!" Jesse whisper-scolded, "Everything will get better, you'll see!"

"Not it won't!" Jane continued to sob, "I wish I was dead!"

"I know you don't mean that."

Jane knew her brother was right. She didn't mean that. Partially. A great deal of her wanted to die just so she could be with her parents again. She missed them terribly. It hurt so much. Beautiful yet painful memories filled her mind of how perfect life used to be for their family. Now, it all seemed to shrivel away to nothing.

"If there is someone out there..." Jane began in a small prayer after her twin brother went back to his bed and fell asleep, "Please... take us away from this life. Give us a whole new life to live. Please..." A tear slipped down her cheek, "Please..." The soft pillow and comforter proved to be too much for her willpower; she fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 2: When a Wish Becomes Reality

"Children, get up and get ready for school!"

Ms. Krachet's voice rang from the kitchen, waking the twins up. Groggily making their way out towards breakfast, they were commanded borderline-harshly to hurry. Everything that happened in the morning was a blur. Even the events at school didn't stick in their minds. Ever since Jane had offered up her bedtime prayer, she had this longing in her heart, shared with the feeling of pain and a hint of guilt mixed with confusion. Jesse tried to be a support to his sister and himself. He was after all, the oldest by six minutes. Despite that, he still felt a responsibility to be the leader. Jane was thankful her brother took on the leading role. She was too much of an emotional mess to do any of the sort.

The school bell rang after the final hour, dismissing all the students. Jane had gathered her stuff quickly and ran out the door ahead of her brother as he continued to collect his stuff from the locker. He only assumed she would be waiting for him by the curb. Ignoring the bullies that threw crumpled paper and empty water bottles at his head, he darted out, watching as the school bus and parents came to pick up the exiting students. The sight of peers with parents caused a bittersweet smile to spread across his lips. He was happy for the wonderful lives the other kids had the privilege to share with parents, but it reminded him of his own. He missed them, and longed to see them again with all his heart.

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, he looked around. Jane was nowhere in sight and that worried him.

"Jane?" He called out, making his way down the school's concrete steps, "Jane, this isn't funny, you come out now!"

Still no response. A gut-wrenching dread sunk to the pit of his stomach, wondering where his sister went. Her depression seemed to only get worse, he wondered if she ran off. No, not his twin sister. He always promised himself and her that they would always be together. He couldn't break that promise now.

Running down the sidewalks, he continued to call for his sister. The town seemed suspiciously busy, the pedestrians crowding around him so much he could barely make it through. There were so many voices talking around him at once, it made all sounds indistinct. He didn't know what was going on that would bring so many people to town, nor did he care. He just needed to find his sister so they could get back home. Where was she?! A high pitched scream met his ears over the sound of the crowd. It was Jane's scream, he just knew it! No one else from the crowd seemed to notice or care, and that infuriated Jesse. He squeezed through the pushing and impatient pedestrians, yelling for his sister. When he finally made it through the crowd, there Jane was, being dragged down an alley by a man dressed in all black. Jesse yelled and ran down the alley after them, hoping he was fast enough. The worst possible outcomes entered his mind, but no, nothing would happen to his sister. He would make sure of that. Running down a graffiti-covered alley and turning a corner, the only thing in sight was an open door against one of the building walls. Jesse could tell someone had just run through it, so he would go in as well. Jane had to be in there. Although his heart thumped till he thought it would beat out of his chest, he continued to walk into the dark room that turned out to be much bigger than he thought.

Strange odors existed in the room, smacking Jesse's nostrils. From what he could see, what looked like giant motherboards lined the walls, and a loud whir met his ears. But looking ahead of him, he saw Jane lying alone on the hard, tile floor.

"Oh my gosh, Jane, are you alright?!" Jesse panted as he held out his hand to help her up before hugging her.

"Yeah... I'm okay." Jane breathed out after breaking the hug. Jesse was still extremely worried,

"What happened?! What did that guy want?!"

Jane furrowed her brows, "I... I'm not sure, actually. I was walking home ahead of you when he came along and grabbed me."

Jesse pinched the bridge of his nose once Jane had stopped talking. This was all too confusing, and frankly, a situation he did not want to be in.

"I was hoping you would follow us." A man's voice interrupted them, startling the twins. They looked over to see a middle aged pure white man dressed in all black towering over them.

"That's him..." Jane whispered to Jesse.

"W-What do you want?" Jesse demanded, trying to be brave.

The man smirked, "You. You both want a new life. And I can give it to you. I can show you so much! When your sister offered up her bedtime prayer begging for a new life to live, I just knew you both were perfect."

The twins were confused. They didn't know whether or not to run and be terrified.

"Come with me." The man continued, leading them over to the largest motherboard that was connected to a seven foot ROM. In front of it appeared to be what looked like a portal frame. The man pressed a button on the motherboard, and within the frame appeared a swirling entrance, seemingly an opening or portal to another world. Jesse took a few steps back, obviously freaked out. He didn't quite know how to react. Jane, however, was mesmerized as she stared directly into the glowing white portal. The swirling of it seemed to hypnotize her and she reached out, wanting to walk through. Jesse grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"What are you doing?!" He asked in a shocked manner, "You don't know what's through there!"

Jane looked at him with pleading eyes, "Jesse, this could be our chance to escape and live a whole new life! No more foster home, no more sorrows... a fresh start! Please."

Jesse looked ahead into the portal. It seemed to telepathically whisper in his mind to enter.

"Imagine the wonders on the other side." The man added, almost shoving the twins in, "This is what you want."

"Alright." Jesse finally gave in. And so they ran through.

Their stomachs dropped once they entered. They were falling. They didn't know where they would land or if they ever would. Maybe this was all just a crazy dream. All around them turned pitch black. Had they entered unconsciousness? They didn't know. They only continued to fall.

Jane slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times once she did so. She found herself laying down. She stood up cautiously, looking over beside her to see Jesse doing the same.

"Where are we?" Jane croaked out as they both examined their surroundings. Jesse only shrugged. The world seemed oddly pixelated, but it was charming and somewhat beautiful to them. Walking down the plain, both Jesse and Jane were nearly convinced this was a dream. How was any of it possible? It just didn't add up.

Still in confusion as the sun went down, the twins knew they would have to find shelter soon. Walking through a forest, they were stopped by someone. A young girl with short, red hair that looked about their age.

"I've never seen you two before." The girl stated as she pointed a sword at them.

Jesse held his hands up, "Honestly, we have no idea where we are."

"Can you possibly help us?" Jane asked meekly.

The girl shrugged, "I'm not sure. I only just arrived here a few days ago, assuming you arrived the same way I did from the same world. I don't know why we're here, but apparently this is our new home now. I'm Petra, by the way. And you are...?"

"I'm Jesse and this is my twin sister, Jane." Jesse spoke up, trying to sound brave.

Petra nodded, "Well, seeing as though now we've been acquainted, I'll help you get through the night. But just this one night! After that, you're on your own. But I'm sure I'll see you around. Now c'mon, let's hurry. Monsters will be spawning any second. I learned that fast on my first night here."

"So... are there other people here besides you?" Jane asked Petra after they began walking through the forest. Petra chuckled,

"You have no idea."


	4. Chapter 3: Friends in a Treehouse

10 years later

Life was different. Very different. The seemingly virtual world was now their home. As fake as it often seemed, it was very much real. The realm of their new home plagued their minds through the years. No memories of their old lives existed. This was their new life. Jane and Jesse were now adults, living their lives in a treehouse shared with two of their new friends, Olivia and Axel; both kind hearted people who were very good at going with the flow. The Richardson twins were more than thankful for that.

"Would you rather fight a hundred chicken-sized zombies, or ten zombie-sized chickens?" Olivia asked randomly one evening in the treehouse. Jesse and Jane were the only two people there at the time.

"That's easy, I'll take the uh... tiny, little zombies." Jesse replied as he hit a wooden armor stand with his equally wooden sword, making Jane roll her eyes.

"A hundred of them!" Olivia emphasized, "Crawling all over you with their tiny hands." She shuddered. Jesse laughed,

"All I'd need is, like, a shovel. I'm telling you, way too easy."

Jane shrugged, "I dunno, Jess. Ten zombie-sized chickens sounds like the way to go. After all, chickens aren't hostile or anything. They'd only feed us meat for a year."

"Soooo..." Olivia piped in, wanting to say something else, "I've got a daylight sensor on the roof, and if I did this right, these lamps should turn on once it gets dark." She placed the redstone down like a true engineer, and her skin complexion beautifully matched with the spruce wood of the tree house. She was right at home, "I didn't want to just leave Reuben here with nothing while we're at the building competition."

"He's coming with us!" Jane piped in firmly.

"Really?!"

Reuben was the twins' pet pig. After finding him huddled all alone in the cold, Jane had begged Jesse into keeping him. She obviously had gotten her way. But the little pig was well cared for and loved.

"What kind of question is that? Of course he is!" Jesse added in, sticking up for his twin sister.

"Okay, I'm not saying he shouldn't come." Olivia defended herself, "I'm not... but don't you think it's a little weird that you take him with you everywhere you go? He kind of makes us look like... I don't know... amateurs."

"Reuben's our best friend!" Jane scolded before scooping up the little pig into her arms and kissing him on the head. Olivia mumbled,

"I thought I was your best friend..."

"Both of you are! Now stop, we need to get ready."

Olivia shrugged, "I didn't mean anything by it. I'm glad he's coming. I just don't wanna give people one more reason to call us 'losers'. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of being a laughingstock." Olivia was truthful in everything she said. The only thing that never stopped for the twins was the bullying. Now Olivia and Axel endured it along with them. Jesse crossed his arms,

"Who cares what other people think?"

"I know. I'm just... it wears you down."

Jane smiled, "You say you're not a loser, Olivia, so win!"

Olivia could only smile back.

"BOO!" Axel shouted as he jumped through the treehouse entrance with a creeper mask on his head. Everyone else screamed, and poor Reuben squealed.

"Aw man, you guys totally freaked out!" Axel laughed, his plump figure jiggling, "That was awesome!"

"Axel, what's the matter with you?!" Olivia snapped, obviously not in the mood for games.

"Cool mask." Jesse teased. Jane sat down with Reuben still in her arms.

Axel smiled, "It is, isn't it?"

"Yeah, very convincing."

"Hahaha... the looks on your faces!"

"Did you bring the fireworks?" Olivia inquired, changing the subject.

Axel nodded, "Of course I did. I even brought something for the little guy." Pulling out an Ender Dragon suit for Reuben, he smiled proudly.

"You got that just for Reuben?" Jane asked with a chuckle.

"We're going to a convention. Somebody's gotta wear a costume." After putting the costume on him, the little pig began prancing around the room.

"As long as Reuben is happy, I'm happy." Jane smiled. She babied the pig day and night.

After gathering up their belongings and prepping little Reuben further, the group headed out down the plain towards where the convention, "Endercon", was to be held.

"I heard a pretty juicy rumor about the building competition." Axel said once they had walked for a few minutes, "But you guys have to promise not to say anything! Also, it's in two parts, each part more exciting than the last."

"Spit it out, Axel!" Jesse exclaimed as he nudged his friend. Jane went into a fit of laughter at that. Axel replied,

"Part one, the special guest at this year's Endercon is none other than Gabriel the Warrior him-freaking self! Part two, according to my sources, the winner of the building competition is gonna get to meet him! It doesn't mean anything if we lose. But if we win... oh man, this would make up for all the losing." Gabriel the Warrior was a member of the "Order of the Stone", a band of heroes who helped save the world years ago. Their group became only a legend, but it lived on in the hearts and minds of the people.

"Meeting Gabriel would be a dream and an honor." Jane replied with a far away look in her eyes. Reuben squealed in delight as he pranced along beside her.

"Totally! He's awesome!" Olivia agreed, "It'd be amazing to meet him."

Axel chuckled, "Reuben better be careful wearing that costume. The last time Gabriel saw a dragon, it didn't end well."

The group continued to trudge through the biome, going back and forth about how they didn't want to lose the competition again. It was indeed stressful and quite annoying to lose every time, but they were determined. Nothing would stop them.

"Wait a minute, we're thinking about this all wrong!" Jesse suddenly exclaimed, stopping the group in their tracks, "The point of the building competition isn't just to build something. You have to do something to get noticed by the judges. We don't just build something functional, we build something fun. After we finish the fireworks machine like we planned, then we build something cool on top of it!"

After more talking and endless amounts of irrelevant dialogue, the group decided to build an Enderman on top of the fireworks machine. After all, it was Endercon. It would be perfect.

"Oh great..." Axel groaned as they approached the competition that took place outside. Another team was already there with their leader, "It's Lukas and the Ocelots. The rivalry continues."

"Man, they've got matching leather jackets and everything!" Olivia whispered, almost jealous. Jane could care less. Jesse just rolled with it.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the 'Order of the Losers'!" One guy from the Ocelots teased, "Lukas, get a load of these losers!"

Their leader turned his head at the sound of his name. He was a young man with a slender built and blonde hair. His eyes met Jane's for one second, confusing her.

"Let's go, guys." He groaned, and they all walked away. The group signed in and prepared themselves for the competition at their building plot right next to the Ocelots. It only gave the bullies a chance for teasing. One of the guys seemed to take a great interest in teasing Jane.

"I was just looking!" Jane exclaimed to the man after he teased her for glancing over at what they were building: a rainbow beacon.

"There'll be plenty of time for you all to look at it after it wins and gets shown at Endercon." He teased, "Maybe not all of you. Endercon doesn't allow outside food or drink. I'm talking about your pig."

Jane suddenly felt very angry and different from her lady-like self, "Shut up!" She hissed.

"What's that?"

"I said shut up! Do you need to hear it again?!"

The man came closer to her face, "I dunno. Maybe!"

Lukas came walking with a cross look on his face. He turned to the man, "Stop wasting your time, Aiden. We've got work to do." Lukas then looked over at Jane and mouthed a sorry.

"Hey, Jesse. Guys." A friendly female voice greeted from behind them. Turning around, they saw a young red-haired lady holding a pickaxe.

"Hey, Petra!" Jesse replied before the rest of them.

"How's the build going?" She asked with a cheeky smile.

Axel shrugged, "Only time will tell, but we're optimistic."

"Petra!" Lukas suddenly called out as he approached her, "I forgot to thank you for that nether star."

Petra nodded, "Hey, Lukas. Not a problem."

"You helped them?" Jane asked with a near gaping mouth.

"For the right price, I'll help anyone. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"None of us know where to find you." Olivia groaned. Petra chuckled,

"Exactly."

"No hard feelings, guys." Lukas added after Petra had left. Everyone almost forgot he was still standing there, "If you're cool with Petra, you're cool with us. So, why don't we just forget about all this, and y'know, make this about how cool our builds are."

"May the best team win." Jesse replied with a half-hearted smile.

Lukas smirked, "Careful what you wish for."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Endercon Building Competition!" The announcer began, silencing everyone, "The winner of this year's competition will have their build featured at Endercon; the winners will also meet, in person, Gabriel the Warrior! Building starts now."

Just like that, it all truly began.


	5. Chapter 4: Search and Discovery

The competition was on! Placing the blocks with perfectly intricate detail, the builds were complete in no time. The fireworks machine was constructed, thanks to Olivia's mastermind for engineering, and the colored wool to cover it up in the shape of an Enderman only made the design look more attractive, just like they had planned. As the group stood on top, Olivia was given the honors in pulling the lever, sending a blast of colorful fireworks into the air. Crowds of people came to look almost in awe, pleasing the group. When they signed up, their team name had been the "Dead Enders". Of course the Ocelots made fun of it, but they didn't care. Jane sent a cheeky smile at Aiden, who was glaring back with a furious look on his face.

"It's just a bunch of dyed wool!" He yelled up at her, only pleasing her more. Her want to get on his nerves seemed very childish, and Jesse nudged her for it. It was best to ignore the jealous group.

In Aiden's moment of jealousy, he punched someone else's build in anger, sending lava spilling out towards Reuben, whose costume caught on fire, making him squeal and run away in fright. The build was also in jeopardy.

"You guys stay here and save the build! I'll go and get Reuben." Jesse exclaimed, ready to hop off and run after the pig.

"Please let me go with you, Jess!" Jane begged, pulling back on his arm. Her brother shook his head,

"No, you'll be safer here. Don't worry, I'll be back with Reuben in time for Endercon!" And with that, he darted off into the dark woods beyond as the sun had fully gone down.

"Reuben? Where are you?" Jesse called out as he meandered through the near blackened woods, "Just give me an oink if you can hear me!" Nothing. It worried him that there was no answer from the little pig. He knew how much Reuben meant to Jane, and frankly, he loved the little guy too. With that mindset, he searched further into the forest, calling out the little pig's name in hopes of finding him safe and sound. His spirits were lifted at the sight of pig hoof prints on the ground. It only led him to a group of non domesticated pigs, but he continued searching nevertheless. After being startled by a chicken and a few other things, the smell of something burning smacked his nostrils, leading him to find the pig's Ender Dragon costume nearly in ashes. There was no sign or smell of burnt pig, much to Jesse's relief, but the search was still not complete. He looked further.

"Reuben? Is that you?" Jesse called out after hearing the sound of a little pig squealing. Maybe even the hissing of a spider or two. Finally coming out into a small clearing in the woods, there Reuben was, huddled in the brush, whimpering.

"Reuben!" Jesse exclaimed, running up to the little guy, "Hey buddy, want a carrot?" He offered sweetly as he pulled the vegetable out of his pocket. That course of action would've made Jane very pleased, "Oh I'm so happy to see you! I was so worried. Jane was, mostly. Should we go meet up with her and the others?"

The little pig squealed in delight at that, right before his exclamation turned into that of pure fear. Inhuman growling met Jesse's ears, causing him to turn around and understand why Reuben was suddenly so scared. Zombies began crawling out of the shadows towards them, along with a herd of spiders.

"Run!" Jesse yelled as both he and the pig began to sprint away. It was dark and very hard to see. At every chance they believed they were in the clear, another monster came, ready for the kill. Panting, they continued to run. Jesse mentally promised himself he would keep anything from happening to Reuben. They had to make it out alive.

Whizzing arrows flew past them, only increasing their building adrenaline. The ran untill they could run no longer. There was a steep cliff, too high to climb. It was a dead end. Pulling out his wooden sword, Jesse knew he would have to fight the oncoming zombies. After slaying a few, the group of monsters only multiplied, and it didn't take long for Jesse's sword to break. Reuben squealed in fear.

"I know it's bad. I'll think of something!" Jesse replied, wondering if he really would come up with a solution, "You're going to have to make a run for it, okay? I'll meet you back in town I promise. Try to find Jane in the crowd while you're there, and stay with her!" Although hesitant to leave Jesse's side, little Reuben obeyed and sprinted off, leaving his owner to fight the monsters alone.

A hissing spider jumped off the ledge, knocking Jesse over, trying to attack him. This spider was huge, about the same size as Jesse, and he put up one heck of a fight! As the spider struggled on top of him, it was pulled off by someone and slayed to death with a pickaxe. Jesse, in shock, sat up to see it was none other than Petra.

"C'mon, let's get out of the open." She commanded, leading Jesse away from the team of monsters.

Taking Jesse to a cave where she spent a good deal of her time, Petra spoke once they were inside,

"I wanna show you something."

"Not that this isn't a really cool dimly-lit tunnel, but... how far away is this thing you wanna show me?" Jesse asked, eager to get back with his sister, Reuben and their friends. Petra smirked,

"Careful, Jesse. You don't wanna get a reputation as a wimp."

"This isn't my first time in a cave, Petra." Jesse scoffed.

"Yeah, but have you ever see a Wither Skull?" The young redhead announced as she pulled the black skull from her inventory, "Fresh from the Nether. You're the first person I've shown it to."

"You risked your life for that dusty old skull?" Jesse questioned, secretly worried for her safety, knowing the utmost dangers that lied within the Nether. Almost no one made it out alive after going there. Petra cocked her head to the side,

"No, I risked my life for the thing I'm gonna exchange for the dusty old skull." Putting the skull back in her inventory, she led Jesse towards the back of the cave where the exit lied while continuing to speak, "There's this guy I'm meeting up with at Endercon. He's gonna trade me a diamond for it. Being the resident go-getter pays off every once in awhile."

"Why didn't he just go get the skull himself?" Jesse asked, intrigued and confused at the same time.

"He's not the kind of guy who has time to do something like that."

"What kind of guy is he, then?"

"The kind who understands the value of hard work." Petra replied matter-of-factly, noticing Jesse's slightly ticked off expression hearing her talk about another guy.

"Wow." Was all Jesse could say in reply. Petra raised an eyebrow,

"Wow... what?"

"In a single day, you went to the Nether, you killed a Wither Skeleton... I mean I did build a super cool statue, but still. It's pretty sweet being you, huh?"

"You know... you could come with me." Petra offered slyly, hoping he would agree. She at times didn't like adventuring alone, and Jesse was someone special to her, whether he knew that or not, "I mean, if you're too nervous, I totally get it." She teased, trying to cover up her real feelings.

"What's in it for me?" Jesse inquired. Petra put on an unreadable expression,

"Respect. Admiration. Not getting punched in the face for saying that just now." Her statement caused Jesse's eyes to widen.

After walking deeper into the tunnel, just a little bit away from the exit, the two came across a crafting table sitting comfortably by a chest.

"Since that wooden sword of yours got busted..." Petra began with a twinkle in her eyes.

"You're giving me a new one?" Jesse asked with a near childish smile on his face.

"Even better. You can make your own. Just grab what you need." Petra motioned towards the chest, and Jesse opened it, grabbing the items needed.

"Hey, is all this stuff yours?" Jesse suddenly asked slowly with a raise of his eyebrow.

"No. We're just stealing from whoever was dumb enough to leave this here. Of course it's mine!" Petra grumbled, going back to her usual, tough self.

Jesse held his hands up in defense, "I'm just making sure."

After emptying the cobblestone and sticks from his inventory, he placed them on the right squares in the crafting table, watching as the items fused together to make a stone sword. It was always as if some form of magic existed in the crafting table; the way it created items with barely the touch of a hand was always beyond astounding.

"See? Isn't it better when you make it yourself?" Petra asked as Jesse held up his sword proudly.

"You bet." He winked, storing it safely in his inventory.

Walking out through the exit, they stood on a bridge over a clear, flowing river under the star-filled night sky.

"Check it out, Endercon's all lit up!" Petra exclaimed with a smile, pointing ahead of her towards the glowing city in the distance.

"I can't believe it..." Jesse breathed out, seeing the fireworks shoot up from their build, "We won! Our build is being shown at Endercon!"

"Good for you, Jess." Petra smiled, and Jesse felt a strange feeling bubble up inside of him at the nickname. Only Jane had ever used it. He shook off the feeling and replied,

"It's about time we beat Lukas and his gang of jerks! What kind of a stupid name is the Ocelots, anyway?"

Petra crossed her arms, becoming serious again,

"You know, Lukas may be kind of arrogant, but he has come through for me in tricky situations. You might wanna get to know him. Just in case. He's good at building, that's for sure. It's always useful to have a guy like that around, no matter what you might think of him personally."

There she went, talking about another guy again. It made Jesse feel... almost jealous.

"Hey, I'll be a gracious winner, but that's it." He replied quickly, trying to keep his mind straight. His own abnormal behavior infuriated himself, "He'll get one handshake and one 'good build, good build'. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Just... think about it, okay?" Petra nearly pleaded. She didn't want to see anymore division. Jesse agreed, and they began to walk further down the bridge, "Remember what Endercon was like before it was cool?" Petra asked with a chuckle once they were halfway across. Jesse laughed,

"Remember what we were like before we were cool?"

"Some of us will never be cool."

Jesse nudged her for that comment, "Ha-ha..."

Finally looking ahead of themselves, the sight of creepers blocking the path off the bridge could be seen. The other side was blocked by zombies. They were trapped on both sides.

"There's only one way off this bridge." Petra inquired, not in the mood to fight monsters, "But whatever we do, we do it together."

Jesse inhaled deeply, not believing what he was about to say or do, "Alright let's jump!" Grabbing her hand, they jumped off, plunging into the depths below.


	6. Chapter 5: Endercon and Wither Skulls

Jesse and Petra walked under the night sky, finally arriving at Endercon. It was full of people, some who were quite strange, but it was bustling with activities, nevertheless.

"Let me know if you see Reuben and the others anywhere." Jesse spoke in Petra's ear as they meandered through the noisy crowd. It strangely reminded him of something he couldn't recall. Petra nodded,

"They've gotta be here somewhere."

Jesse mumbled, too quiet for her to hear, "I hope you're right..." Silence lingered for a few seconds, and then Petra picked up the conversation again by getting right down to business,

"So, when we're making the deal, I need you to let me do the talking. Okay? I just don't want anything to screw this up."

Jesse raised an eyebrow, "Should I... be nervous about this?"

"Given your personality, your life experience, and everything else you've done to make it to this moment... yes."

That did not help.

"Jesse! Petra!" A friendly voice called out, causing the duo to look ahead of themselves to see Jane, who was accompanied by Olivia and Axel.

"There you are!" Jesse exclaimed in utmost relief, enveloping his twin sister in a hug.

"I was so worried about you, Jess." She replied after they broke the hug, "Couldn't find Reuben?"

Jesse frowned, "I saw him, but before I knew what was happening, we were under attack by a zombie horde! I told him to run. It was for his own good. I'm sorry..."

"He'll turn up sooner or later. I just know it!" Olivia piped in, trying to brighten up the situation in any way possible. Axel turned his attention elsewhere and asked what Petra was doing in the woods. She was indeed at times a peculiar person. Always seeking adventure in the weirdest of places. But it was worth it to her, and that was the kind of life she always wanted to live.

"Nothing." Petra replied bluntly, trying to hide her real purpose with the Wither Skull traid. She promised the man she would keep it a secret, "Just... drawn by the sound of Jesse's high-pitched screams."

Jane let out a small laugh at that, earning a glare from her twin brother. He heaved a sigh, finally admitting,

"I would've been spider bait if she hadn't found me."

"That's why you should've let me come with you!" Jane suddenly burst out, throwing her hands firmly at her sides, "I would've been able to help. I mean, we did save the build and won the competition, but I'm sure Axel and Olivia would still have saved it without me. Then maybe Reuben would be here..."

"Hey, don't talk like that." Jesse soothed, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder, "No matter what we did or would have done, it's all over. I promise, we'll find Reuben. And Jane, you know all I wanna do is keep you safe."

She nodded, "I know. And I appreciate that sincerely. Maybe one day I'll get my chance."

"Hey, Jesse, it's time to go see about that... thing." Petra interrupted with little to none of her composure, trying to pull him away.

"Oh right, the thing!" Jesse feigned, making Jane raise an eyebrow.

"Real smooth..." She muttered before clearing her throat and speaking louder, "I'm going to stay with Axel and Olivia, since you seem to like that for the time being. But I better see you in the stadium! I'm not seeing Gabriel without you."

Jesse winked, "Don't worry, sis. I'll be there, I promise!"

And with that, Jane, Olivia and Axel left for the other festivities. Petra heaved a sigh of relief once they were gone. The less people the better.

"Hurry, we're supposed to meet in that alley over there." She spoke to Jesse under her breath as she pointed to the dark entrance yonder from where they stood. Without another word, they entered, looking around for someone, but could not find anybody. Petra furrowed her brows and mumbled,

"That's weird... he said the dark, creepy alley next to the gates, but he's not here. Maybe he's late."

"Are you sure this is the dark, creepy alley he meant?" Jesse questioned, feeling unsure about the whole situation. Petra was sure at first, but now her thoughts were filled with doubt. She had come so far in getting the Wither Skull to traid. If she missed the chance, it would be beyond devastating. All she could do was shrug in response to Jesse's question.

"Okay, new plan." Petra announced abruptly, surprising Jesse, "You stay here just in case this is the spot he meant, and I'll look around. I guess I could've heard him wrong. Then again... I've never gotten a meet-up spot wrong before."

"You can't seriously think you're just gonna leave me here!" Jesse whisper yelled, partially regretting taking part in what Petra was doing.

"If you can manage to stay alive in the woods, I think you can do the same here." She sassed back while crossing her arms and sighing, "I'll be back before you know it. If he shows up while I'm gone, just stall for me."

As soon as she left, Jesse groaned out of slight frustration. He didn't like the situation one bit, and wished Petra had stayed. It was, however, almost impossible to talk her out of anything, and he did not have the skill to do so. Putting the thought out of his head, he examined his surroundings. There wasn't much to look at. It was just a dark alley. But tucked away in the corner was a single chest. He was tempted to open it and look inside. After all, there was nothing else to do. Slowly approaching it, he reached out hesitantly for the latch, only to be startled away by someone clearing their throat from behind him. Gasping and turning around, Jesse saw a stern faced man at the entrance of the alley. He was gruff looking; long, black hair and beard, tarnished green clothes... everything about him seemed unkempt.

"And just who are you?" The man growled, slowly coming closer.

"My name's Jesse." Jesse replied, trying to seem brave and like he knew exactly what was going on, "And you are...?"

"I'm supposed to meet with Petra, not whatever you're supposed to be!" The man snapped back, obviously not wanting to say his name, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't walk out of here right now."

"I'm ready to start this deal if you are."

"My deal is with Petra!"

"She'll be here, but we can get started without her." Jesse continued, really hoping his approach would work.

"Do you have the skull?!" The man asked firmly, scaring Jesse just a little. He didn't know how to reply to the man, so he opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't think of any words.

"Ivor!" Petra called to the man from the entrance of the alley as she came back.

"Not a moment too soon." The man, Ivor, grumbled, "Your partner almost soured the deal."

Petra seemed surprised, "Ah well, that's... not good. I left my friend Jesse here while I went looking for you. I've got what you asked for."

"If you have what you promised us." Jesse added in, hoping the man was an honest one.

Ivor scowled, "You didn't say anything about an 'us' when we first met. And I don't like surprises. If these are the sorts of people you associate with, perhaps we should call the whole thing off."

Petra held her hands up, "My friend is fine! Right, Jesse? There's no problem here. Let's not be too hasty, okay? This is just a little misunderstanding." Jesse shrugged,

"I'm cool if he's cool."

"It's settled, then." Petra smiled, "You're both cool."

Ivor crossed his arms, "Proceed, then."

In response, Petra quickly pulled the black Wither Skull out of her inventory, handing it to Ivor who instantly began to examine it.

"I'll take that diamond, now." Petra inquired, not willing to wait any longer.

Ivor smirked, "Take it. You've earned it."

Both Jesse and Petra eagerly ran to the chest behind them and opened it. Jesse furrowed his brows at the sight of the stone inside.

"Uh... this isn't a diamond." He muttered.

"No, it's lapis!" Petra hissed, pulling it out of the chest and turning around, only to see that Ivor was nowhere in sight, "Of all the dirty, underhanded tricks to pull!"

"I knew we couldn't trust that guy!" Jesse spoke his mind loudly.

"Screw this!" Petra hissed, throwing the lapis on the ground, "We're going after him! I'm either getting that diamond, or I'm getting my skull back."

Darting out of the alley, they made their way through Endercon, searching for the swindler.

"Do you see him anywhere?" Petra asked while they ran and meandered through crowds of people.

"We lost him..." Jesse groaned, not seeing Ivor anywhere.

"Then we'll just have to find him again. Go!" Jesse and Petra split up, going in opposite directions to look for him.

It at times seemed hopeless. Jesse searched constantly, despite a few interruptions along the way. It also worried him that none of his friends, his sister or Reuben could be seen through the crowd.

"Hey, Jesse!" Lukas caught up with him, stopping him in his tracks, "Congrats on the win. I mean, I still think our beacon was amazing, but you guys did a pretty good job, too. I thought the whole monster thing was plenty cool, but fireworks too?! It was awesome!"

Jesse was shocked. He honestly didn't know how to respond. "Uhh... thanks, I guess."

Lukas chuckled, "It's alright. Just make sure you say hi to your sister for me." With a wink that confused Jesse greatly, the blonde man was off.

As Jesse walked further, an alarmed squeal met his ears and he turned, seeing a porkchop stand and a man holding an axe above a small pig. That pig was Reuben.

"Stop!" Jesse yelled as he ran up to the man, "Don't hurt him!"

"What's the big idea?!" The butcher growled, "I'm trying to run a business, here!"

"That's my pig!" Jesse screeched in a very unmanly way.

"Oh really?" The man was sceptical, "Well I found him out in the woods, so I think that makes him my pig! Not the fattest pig I've ever seen, but he should cook up real nice anyway."

"Sir, he's telling the truth!" A young woman, who happened to be Jane, ran up beside Jesse from the crowd, "The pig's name is Reuben, and we've been looking for him everywhere."

The butcher smirked,

"Well, seeing a pretty lady such as yourself has been looking for this nice pig, I will return him to you and ask for nothing in return. Take him, he's yours."

"Thank you!" Jane exclaimed as she scooped up Reuben in her arms and they were off.

"I thought you were going to stay with Axel and Olivia." Jesse inquired as he walked beside Jane who cradled Reuben.

"They were distracted by concession stands." She replied, "So I went to look for Reuben. I guess I ended up finding him and you."

Jesse nodded. He paused for a minute, then continued reluctantly, "By the way, Lukas says hi."

Jane furrowed her brows then laughed, "Lukas? Why?"

"I dunno. He just told me to tell you he says hi. That's all."

"Hmmm..." Jane muttered, trying not to let anything get to her head.

"Now now, sis, don't go thinking... things."

"Jesse, I'm not! You need to seriously stop treating me like I'm some little kid. You've been doing it all my life."

"I care about you."

"And apparently so does Lukas."

"Would you stop?!" Jesse exclaimed, causing Jane to erupt in laughter. After calming down, Jesse continued after breathing out a sigh, "Remember that thing I had to go do with Petra? Long story short, we met up with this guy, he cheated me and Petra, and now we're trying to track him down. You in?"

"Of course! We can even round up Olivia and Axel."

Jesse smiled, "I need to start trusting you more."

They rounded up Axel and Olivia swiftly, even gathering Petra along the way. Shockingly enough, Lukas offered to help as well. After searching, they finally spotted Ivor's figure sneaking into the Endercon stadium. This was their chance.

"Tickets, please." The usher commanded in a surfer-dude tone, blocking the entrance to the stadium. He definitely fit in with the weird crowd. Jesse fumbled in his pockets, looking for something but found nothing.

"Oh!" Olivia suddenly exclaimed, "We were given these license cards earlier as passes for winning the building competition."

Jane, Axel and Olivia pulled out the cards to prove who they were, and said that the other three were with them, even though Lukas really wasn't a part of the Dead Enders.

"Righteous, dudes!" The usher exclaimed, "Go right on in!"

Thanking the man, the group ran up the steps to the glowing stadium. Winning the building competition was already starting to pay off. After running inside, Ivor was nowhere in sight. It was infuriating.

"Ugh, where'd he go?" Petra grumbled, crossing her arms. They looked around, each and every one of them. Only a few people stood around in the stadium, and they were workers.

"There!" Jesse whisper yelled, trying not to draw attention as he pointed to a door across the room that was half open, leading to a basement.

"What do we do once we catch him?" Lukas asked quietly before they made their way down the dark steps, "There are a million ways to play this."

"I wouldn't mind a little payback..." Jesse mumbled, but Jane protested.

"That's not the way to solve matters!" She spoke, "We'll only get in more trouble. We'll teach him a lesson of course, but be kind about it."

Her kindness put a smile on Lukas' face. One of those... admiring smiles. It was new.

They finally snuck down into the basement, happy to see the lights were on. It was, however, a hint that someone had been down there. They were close, they knew it. The place was indeed very strange. It was full of bookshelves, with dozens of colorful potions stacked on top. The odor that filled the room was very abnormal, but it wasn't unpleasant. Everyone had different objections as to what to do when Ivor had been found and caught. Jane was the most innocent of all of them combined, and it made Lukas admire the young woman even more than he had already. He didn't know her very well, despite the fact that he knew Jesse was very protective of her. It took a bit of courage for Lukas to bring himself to say something to Jane, but he did once Jesse had walked away. Something about how he liked her outfit or whatnot.

As Jesse searched over by Axel, who was rummaging through some chests, a shiny, purple and gold potion glowed and swirled from the table it sat on. It was very different from all the other potions. It was even set aside, just to show it was special, and even had a purpose as such.

"Take a look at this!" Jesse called out, earning Axel's attention, who came up quickly. Jesse knew his friend's intentions, "Don't even try it." He muttered.

"I can't just take this one thing?!" Axel whined. Jesse shook his head,

"No, because it's not right. And what would Jane think?"

Axel only shrugged at that, waiting for Jesse to walk away. When he did, Axel grabbed the potion, stuffing it in his inventory and placing another purple potion on the empty table before running off to act like he did nothing.

Minutes passed. When the group was about to give up, Jesse found a lever on the wall and pulled. A thud met their ears as the wall began to fold away, revealing something inside its interior. Three soul sand with a strange, glowing block in the center. It was very weird.

"What is that?" Jane asked as Reuben oinked beside her, referring to the different block.

"I've never seen one of these before..." Olivia pondered as she walked up to it and placed her hand on it, "It's almost pulsing...!"

"Don't touch it!" Jane shrieked, "You don't know what that does. It could be dangerous."

"Stop worrying about every little thing we do." Axel groaned, "You need to grow up."

Jane could only scowl at his comment. Reuben purposely rammed into him.

There was a chest against the wall, and Jesse compelled to open it. His eyes widened at the sight of its inside contents. It was what they were looking for and more! Three Wither Skulls...

"I think I know what's going on here." Lukas gasped, his face going pale, "Soul sand, plus three wither skulls... that's the recipe for a Wither. One of the worst monsters there is! It could kill us all!"

Petra tried to contain her fear, "We should just grab the skull and get out of here while we still can."

The sound of footsteps approached, causing all of their heart beats to quicken. They all scattered and hid. Lukas grabbed Jane's hand and pulled her behind the bookshelves with him, much to Jesse's dislike. But from what they could see or hear, it was Ivor, shouting to himself on what he would say when he announced his appearance. Jesse and the gang were unaware of what he had planned.

Olivia shifted slightly in her hiding place, bumping the bookshelf and knocking over a potion, making the bottle clank on the ground.

"What was that?!" Ivor shouted, "Who's there?!" He ran through the shelves, searching, until he heard breathing. As he slowly turned, his eyes met with frightened brown ones. Jane's...


	7. Chapter 6: To Run and Hide

**A/N: Just a real quick disclaimer, a few minor things will be changed in this fanfiction; for one, Petra comes with them in the Nether. It's just to keep things a little more interesting. :)**

"What are you doing down here?!" Ivor hissed in Jane's face as he pulled her up by her right arm.

"Leave her alone!" Lukas called out, gently grabbing onto her other arm to pull her away from the crazy man.

"Stop it, Ivor!" Jesse yelled as he and the others revealed themselves, "You're done."

"What are you doing here?! What did you see?!" Ivor panicked, "Did you follow me here?"

Petra growled,

"You thought you could just screw us over and get away with it, didn't you?"

"What are you going to do about it?" The crazy man teased, "I have what I want, and you have exactly what you earned."

"Pay us what you owe us!" Jane shouted, wanting to charge at him, but Lukas held her back.

Ivor smirked,

"Ah, such an ambitious little lady. But I won't be threatened. Not by the likes of you! You've wasted too much of my time already."

Throwing down a potion of invisibility on himself, Ivor darted out of the room unseen, leaving the group left behind to look around frantically.

"Where did he go?!" Lukas shouted, quite surprised and nervous.

"Somewhere that's not here." Olivia replied. Axel added,

"At least it seems that way..."

"C'mon!" Jesse called out to everyone, "We need to go after him. He's up to no good, and I intend to find out what it is!"

The group ran up the stone steps, leaving the basement in a hurry. By now, a large crowd of people had entered the stadium, almost making it impossible to navigate through. Jesse, for one, didn't appreciate the large crowd one bit. The lights had been dimmed, and the announcer called out the name of Gabriel the Warrior. Everyone cheered, grabbing the attention of the twins and their friends.

"We need to warn the people about what's going on." Jane nearly panicked as she spoke to her brother, who placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. Gabriel was up on the stage answering the crowd's questions. Everyone was occupied. Jane was compelled to just let out a scream to get the attention needed.

"I have a question for you." They all heard a familiar man say once they had made it to the front of the crowd. They couldn't see the man, but they knew who it was, "Tell me..." the man hissed, "Do you really believe anyone can be great?"

"With enough hard work, yes." Gabriel replied, not able to truly see the man, either.

"Was that where I went wrong?!" The man yelled, "I simply didn't work hard enough?!" Finally showing himself to be Ivor, he pushed through the crowd, and Gabriel whispered his name in shock.

"How do you know who he is?" Jesse called out questioningly, feeling slightly insecure. He had a strange feeling something was about to happen. The warrior looked at him sadly and replied,

"I don't know if I ever knew him. But what I did know, I didn't like."

"The feeling is entirely mutual." Ivor retorted, "Why don't you tell them the real story, Gabriel?!"

"I see time has made you bitter."

"And it's made you an even bigger fool!" Ivor growled at the man on the stage as he himself walked up and in front of him, "Now, these people were promised greatness, and I'm ready to deliver! I'm sorry this is how they had to learn the truth." Walking up to the back wall of the stage, he flicked a lever, and lifted up through a trapdoor was the incomplete Wither recipe, only missing one skull needed to activate the monster. Ivor continued as he placed down the black skull, "Nothing built can last forever, Gabriel."

Sending a shockwave strong enough to knock everyone over, the Wither came to life, elevating in the air with the command block in its middle. As Ivor shouted for the three-headed creature to attack, the crowd ran out, screaming. Only Jesse, Jane and the rest of their group stayed as Gabriel attempted to fight off the beast. The Wither began extracting parts of the building and floor, absorbing it into itself to make it stronger. The stadium was falling apart. It only grew beyond controllable, even for Ivor, who didn't care as he mocked Gabriel. However, once he discovered the Wither would no longer listen to him, he threw a purple potion at the command block. Nothing happened, sending him into a panic.

"Axel, you took the real potion!" Jesse snapped in utmost anger.

"You thieves, you're ruining everything!" Ivor screamed as Axel threw the right potion. But it was too late. The Wither surrounded the block with a hard, black shell. It was unbreakable. "It's protecting itself!" Ivor panicked, "Without the command block exposed, the potion is useless! It wasn't supposed to happen like this."

Darting out of the collapsing stadium without another word, it caused Gabriel to shout,

"Ivor, you coward, come back here!"

The Wither only grew in size, learning new abilities about itself. It was very much sentient, now, yet its motive was set by the command block. Jesse, Jane and the others left with Gabriel, running out of the stadium into the dark of night as fast as their legs would take them. By now, the monster had created a tractor beam, sucking up blocks and people as it flew out into the sky, growing and growing until it appeared to be a deadly, living storm.

"Follow me to my fortress!" Gabriel shouted to the group behind him. They had to get away from the Wither Storm before it was too late. Endercon was already destroyed, and people's lives had been taken. Jane was sure to hold onto Reuben tightly as she ran with him in her arms. Fear gripped them all. They could only run away in hopes of not coming in range of the tractor beam. The monster spit out balls of fire, spreading the flames throughout the biome. More people died, others screamed in utmost terror. But the group with Gabriel stayed alive. The fortress was out in the wilderness, although closer than expected.

Running inside once the fortress was in sight, Gabriel announced that the inner chamber was made entirely of obsidian. It would keep them much safer, to their relief. Deep within sat a Nether portal, and Gabriel shouted for them run through.

"All these people... and I can't save them." Gabriel muttered sadly to Jesse, "We need to find the others. The rest of the Order of the Stone. Soren's been missing for years, but the others... you must seek them out!" Pulling out a spherical device, he handed it to Jesse, "Take this amulet and guard it with your life! It will help you locate the other members of the Order of the Stone. Find the Order's temple and use the amulet there."

A loud thud was heard, and the roof began to collapse; everybody screamed in terror.

"Get in the portal!" Jesse shouted to Jane.

"No!" She yelled back, "I want to help you!"

"This place is falling apart, go in!"

Axel, hearing the conversation, grabbed Jane and Reuben, pulling them in. Olivia followed. Only Jesse and Petra stayed to help Gabriel fight off the monster as it began to reach its tentacles into the fortress. Lukas couldn't bring himself to do anything. As they screamed for his help, he could only stand by the portal where he was, frozen in place with fear.

"Go, run through the portal, I can handle these!" Petra finally yelled to Jesse as the catastrophe only worsened.

"I am not leaving you!" Jesse replied firmly, "I made my sister go through the portal, I can make you come, too!"

"No, you can't! Just go, I'll be fine."

Refusing to listen, Jesse grabbed Petra by the hand and pulled her through. He was not about to take any chances. As Jesse, Jane, Axel, Olivia, Reuben, Petra and Lukas became the only group to make it to safety, Gabriel watched with sad eyes as they disappeared through the purple swirling of the portal, leaving him to be extracted into the monster through the tractor beam.


	8. Chapter 7: Burning Up

With a near-hypnotizing flash, the group had been thoroughly teleported to the Nether. Most definitely not the greatest place ever, but one that would keep them from the Wither Storm. After all, the Nether was the center of the earth. It would help them to get to the Order's temple much quicker than in the overworld. Even still, none of them knew how they were standing the excruciating heat that baked on them. They stood by the portal, wondering what their first move would have to be.

"We did everything we could." Lukas broke the silence, thinking about Gabriel that had been left behind. However, they were more than thankful that Petra was with them.

"What are you saying?" Axel grumbled, still holding somewhat of a grudge against Lukas.

"He froze." Jesse stated, crossing his arms. He wasn't too particularly happy about the situation either. Lukas began to stammer in defense,

"What... no. Y-You cannot..."

"Gabriel was taken by the monster because of you." Jesse began to lose his cool, "Jane was in danger, we all were. We called for your help, and all you did was stand there and watch! If it wasn't for Gabriel, we all would've died."

"Jesse, please..." Jane begged, trying to calm her tense brother.

"You cannot put that on me!" Lukas cried, looking at everyone as they stared at him, "I got scared... just for a second."

"You got scared?" Axel teased without humor as his large figure approached the blonde haired young man, "You got scared? That's your excuse?!"

"It wasn't my fault!"

"You got scared and it's not your fault?!"

"Axel, stop it!" Jane commanded, standing in between both him and Lukas, "Obviously he feels bad, and we do not need friction here. If we cloud our minds with this, we won't survive. We have to be the sharpest we've ever been."

Axel growled, "Who cares about what's coming up? We gotta go back!"

"No! We just have to wait. Think about what you're walking into. You'll only get yourself killed. And we need every person on this team if not more. There's nothing you can do up there."

Falling through the portal to more than slightly startle them all, a man made a rough approach. Ivor. The last man they wanted to see.

"You again." He growled at the sight of the twins and everyone else. Standing up he glared daggers at them all, and clenched his fists as if he wanted to kill them, "You... you ruined everything! Don't pretend you don't know. You took my most valuable potion!" Throwing a punch to Ivor's face, Jesse released the pent up anger, "More needless violence. It solves nothing. Learn the lesson now, or you'll share Gabriel's fate. There's nothing left up there! Nothing but that Wither Storm."

"The world is in danger because of you!" Jane snapped, feeling her body tense up from the utter frustration.

"And you're the one that just won't keep your mouth shut!" Ivor yelled in her face.

"Back off!" Petra pushed him away, "You're crazy, and I don't trust you."

"I've noticed your actions." Ivor retorted to her with narrowed eyes, "You're a go-getter, for one. You show bravery. But, there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. I'm pleased to announce that you have crossed that line. All of you have!"

"Don't you even think about-" Olivia began, before being interrupted by Ivor shouting,

"ENOUGH! If you all will just shut up for one second, I can explain how we get out of here." He pointed down a dark pathway and continued, "Through that tunnel is a network of mine carts built by the Order of the Stone. It's your only way out. But I won't be going with you. I'll use my imagination to escape this infernal heat. I would wish you good luck... but luck won't carry you through the Nether. You have my sympathies." Stopping to give them a deadpan look, Ivor drank down an Invisibility Potion and ran off, leaving the group in silence.

The quietness of the place only allowed sounds of bubbling lava to meet the ears of the silent group. But as the seconds passed, a soft whimpering could be heard, like a cry. It sounded harmless at first, but grew louder and closer. It turned from a cry to a whine, and after deciding whatever was making the noise was behind them, they turned around. A large, white figure, with eyes closed and tears stained on its ugly face, they knew exactly what this mob was. A Ghast. With its slithering tentacles beneath as it levitated in the air, the Ghast opened its blood red eyes and let out a high pitched inhuman scream that gurgled with saliva.

"RUN!" Jesse yelled, leading them down the dark tunnel. The Ghast followed them, screaming and searching for the first person of the group to pick off. Coming up to the mine carts Ivor had mentioned, they all hopped in, hoping to outrun the Ghast on tracks. The mob was becoming more aggressive by the second. Spitting out fireballs with a scream was definitely a start, but as the mine carts drove down with its passengers, the mob ceased to follow them.

The next few minutes of the mine cart ride existed in silence. More likely from the fear and shock they all had to overcome. And the sight of an ocean of lava flowing beneath them. It was truly terrifying. They hated the Nether.

"I'm starting to achieve more respect for you." Olivia turned around to tell Petra who was sitting behind her, "I heard you got your Wither Skull from the Nether personally. How did you survive?"

Petra laughed, "Skill, I guess. And determination. Persistence pays off."

"Except for when it doesn't..." Axel groaned and Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Why are you eavesdropping on our conversation?" She asked him, trying to sound upset.

"You guys are literally sitting right behind me! I can't help it. Besides, there's nothing else to do other than just sit in this mine cart."

The ride continued, and the track laid straight... for the most part. Until Lukas screamed, they all noticed the seventy degree drop approaching. Reuben, who sat on Jane's lap, squealed in fear while burying his little pink face in his owner's shirt. Diving down the steep track, they all shouted at the top of their lungs, gripping onto the edges of their mine cart. While driving through a low tunnel after the drop, they all ducked down, still feeling their adrenaline rise to its peak. The track made a click-clack noise, and it was a rough ride. More ups and downs, even a few mobs along the way. But arriving to the destination with the portal to where the temple was supposed to be was the sweetest thing for them to see. They were ready to escape the world of lava.

The overworld was dark. It was night, and the Wither Storm was nowhere to be seen, much to their relief. The monsters would be coming out, on the downside of things, and they could already hear the zombies growling. After deciding to build a treehouse for the night, they did so, making sure to have a small campfire up their as well. It was a perfect, cozy, roofless abode.

"I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise not to freak out." Axel suddenly announced with excitement, "I have cookies!"

Passing them all out to the hungry group, he gave one to everybody, even Reuben... except for Lukas, who stayed sitting the furthest away in a corner. Jane brought the chocolate chip cookie up to her mouth, about to take a bite, when her brown eyes drifted over to Lukas. He looked so cold, so tired and hungry. Looking back down at her cookie then over at him, she stood up and sat down by his huddled figure.

"Here." She spoke softly, placing the cookie in his hand.

"Oh... thanks." He replied with a sheepish smile, slowly taking a bite and smiling wider. Axel crossed his arms. He was secretly hoping Lukas would somewhat starve. There was definitely unforgiveness between the two.

"I think you're the most understanding of us all." Lukas spoke to Jane after he finished eating, just loud enough for her to hear.

"It's nice of you to say so." She replied, trying to not blush.

"I'm serious! If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have tagged along in the first place. I noticed your virtuous actions, and they inspired me. I... I guess what I'm trying to say is that I admire you. A lot. A-And..."

Without letting him finish, Jane took Lukas' hand in hers, throwing a lopsided grin in his direction. It was now his turn to blush.

Olivia, noticing what was happening out of the corner of her eye, decided to interrupt and say to Lukas,

"If you had to, which would you rather fight: a hundred chicken-sized zombies, or ten zombie-sized chickens?"

Lukas chuckled, "That's a good one. Lemme think..."

"How can you guys joke at a time like this?" Axel growled, furrowing his brows, "That Wither Storm is still out there. Most likely coming for us! Not to mention that Gabriel... is gone. There's nothing funny about that."

"We're only trying to keep our spirits high." Petra replied with a smile as she sharpened her sword, "And honestly, I never got to thank Jesse for pulling me through the Nether portal. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him."

Jesse winked at her and she did the same.

"We should get some rest." Lukas announced as both he and Jane stood up, "We gotta start looking for this temple as early as we can. Now, my guess is, if we start at the portal and kind of split up-"

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Axel snapped, cutting him off.

Lukas crossed his arms, "Did I do something to you? I'd really like to know, because you keep getting on my case for what seems like no reason. I know I'm not the leader... but someone needs to step up!"

Axel chuckled, "You're the only one wearing that stupid jacket."

"Take that back!"

"Can't. Wouldn't."

Lukas was feeling aggravated, and it showed in his tone, "You know what? I get to wear this jacket because I know how to build. But that doesn't mean I don't know how to break things!"

"Your threats don't scare me now that we know how you really are."

"You are way out of line! I wasn't going to bring it up... but I can only take so much!"

"Would you all please stop fighting?!" Jane shrieked, "You two seem to hate each other, and..." She couldn't even finish her sentence. All the pent up stress and frustration caused her to burst into tears and fidget with her braids.

"Haven't you done enough damage for one day?" Axel snapped at Lukas, referring to the crying young woman beside him.

"Now you're blaming me for her crying?!" Lukas yelled, "I don't have to take this. Listen... why don't I just leave, and let you guys hash this out?"

"You can't leave. It's dangerous out there!" Olivia remarked, finally being another person to show some sympathy.

"I can take care of myself. It's what Axel wants, right?"

"No... please, Lukas." Jane whimpered, trying to stop her tears, "Don't leave. We need you here."

Agreeing to let Lukas stay, they all huddled in their own corner of the treehouse. Axel and Lukas made sure to stay as far away from each other as possible. It didn't take long to hear thunder, and for raindrops to fall, soaking them all due to no roof. Jane was asleep, and Lukas could not get her crying image out of his mind. Slipping his leather jacket off, he whispered,

"It may be stupid... but it'll keep you warm."

And with that, he wrapped the leather jacket around her sleeping frame.


	9. Chapter 8: Discovery of the Temple

Jane awoke to the abundant sound of song birds chirping in the bright morning air, along with Reuben rubbing his snout against her nose. As her eyes fluttered open and she lifted her head, she noticed the leather jacket wrapped around her arms. A small smile crept on her face as she stood up, making her way over to Lukas who was preparing to leave the treehouse.

"Thank you for keeping me warm and dry." Jane said with a smile as she handed back his jacket.

Lukas grinned while slipping it on, "Oh, it was no problem. You, uh... looked like you needed some comforting."

"And you need some reassurance. Don't let anyone tear you down. You're a trooper, Lukas, and I believe in you. Forever and always."

"Heh... gee, thanks."

"C'mon, guys, let's get moving!" Jesse called out to everyone, leading them down the ladder of the treehouse. Their search for the temple was to truly begin.

The temple was not far from where they had set up camp last night. Just over a ridge and down an old stone path. The hills were magnificent, and the trees blossomed with apples, which they all gladly helped themselves to. Even Reuben, who squealed in delight at his juicy breakfast. Soon after climbing a hill full of overgrown brush, a structure was in sight. Deep down, they knew it was what they were looking for, but their hopes sunk to the pits of their stomachs. The building was in shambles. It was hardly recognizable as a temple. A whole chunk looked to have been torn off, vines grew all over the walls, and the floor didn't look too sturdy either. But in the front resting on a quartz pillar, made out of glass that looked like it would shatter at any minute, was the symbol of the order. It looked exactly like the amulet Gabriel had given Jesse. A multicolored cross in the center of a silver circle.

"This has to be the place." Jesse said with reassurance mostly for himself. He was hoping for something more than what had been discovered. Although the temple was a wreck, there was still hope that the rest of the Order were inside. Running in, they wasted no time to find out.

The place was dark and desolate, although quite alive with booby traps. After dodging through a chamber of dispensers that shot out arrows, the one "gentle" room they discovered appeared to be the Order's place of enchantment. Bookshelves covering every wall, potions giving off a soothing wave of their power, and the faint glow of torches on the walls. Despite cobwebs in the corners, it was quite beautiful.

"Doesn't this look like Ivor's creepy basement?" Axel asked as they all meandered further into the room.

Petra nodded, "Yeah, it does. Ugh, another reminder of that guy. Still... this place is pretty neat."

The group looked through the bookshelves and examined the potions, hoping to discover something that would be useful in their search for the rest of the Order. Nothing appeared to be of use to them, until at the very edge of the room, lying on a diamond cornered table, sat an open book, almost begging to be read. Jesse scanned the page, calling everyone over before he began to read to them,

"The battle was fierce, but the Order of the Stone emerged triumphant, saving the land and ensuring that peace and prosperity would reign forever. These five members... five friends. Together, would give so much to gain their rightful place as five heroes. They would offer their own end. They would slay a dragon. Soren, Gabriel, Ellegaard, Magnus and Ivor, victorious in their fight, became legends that live on in the hearts of all who know what it means to be a true hero."

"Ivor was a member of the Order of the Stone?!" Olivia gasped as she examined the pages herself, "The stories never mentioned him before..."

"He's a coward and a creep." Petra growled, "Not a hero!"

Jane continued quickly, "There must be a reason why he's never mentioned anymore. Maybe something happened... or he was just different back then."

"Man, I can't believe you punched a member of the Order of the Stone!" Axel exclaimed at Jesse, making him facepalm and turn slightly red.

"This is so... crazy!" Lukas breathed out, still trying to grasp the current situation, "The Order might not be what we thought they were... but that monster is still out there. We need to focus on what we came here to do."

"I saw some stairs in the opposite corner of the room." Olivia responded, feeling pleased with herself. Deciding to find out where the stairs led, they climbed quickly, reaching the top.

They eventually found themselves at the near high peak of the temple. It was the room in the most of a wreck, as the majority of the walls were missing. However, it let in the glowing sunlight, warming them all and calming their spirits. There were odd contraptions in the room, along with a map of the world on the only remaining wall.

"Jess, I thought we would find something that would help us." Jane whispered to him, losing her hopes. All she could see was a destroyed meeting room.

Jesse replied calmly, "Gabriel said that once we find the temple, the amulet would lead us to the Order of the Stone."

Pulling out the amulet, he waited for something to happen. Nothing did. In desperation, they all began to look around the room, hoping for some way to properly use the device. Sitting at least fifty feet away from the world map sat a pedestal. The amulet symbol was imprinted on it. Out of curiosity, Jesse placed down the amulet while Jane flipped a few levers. The pedestal came to life, shining a bright light through the amulet that beamed different colors on the map. Green and Red.

"The different colors must be the different members!" Petra suddenly realized after they gathered around the map, "Red is Ellegaard, and green must be Magnus! This could be a... sort of tracking system?"

"There's only two colors on that map." Jesse replied with crossed arms, "If there are only two heroes left, then we know what we need to do. That Wither Storm is still out there. We know that Gabriel was trying to tell us something! He wanted us to bring back the Order."

"But... why are there only two members left?" Axel asked with a sad look as he watched the beams glow on the map.

"He said Soren was missing."

"We need to travel to these locations." Jane muttered under her breath as she traced the map with her fingers.

"I'm not going with you guys." Lukas announced slowly, unsure how the group would take the news, "I have to stay here. I'll try and have this place safe and ready for your return."

"And I'll stay behind to help." Petra concluded with a smile, "As much as I like traveling, I think Lukas needs someone to watch his back incase that Wither Storm finds us."

"Sounds good." Jesse nodded, "Axel and I will travel to find Magnus."

"Then at least allow me to go with Olivia and find Ellegaard!" Jane pleaded, standing firmly in front of her twin brother, "I know you always promised we'd stay together no matter what, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I need to do this."

Jesse opened his mouth to protest, but closed it and heaved a sigh knowing she was right. He smiled and finally spoke,

"As long as Reuben can go to help keep an eye on you."

Letting out a laugh through her smile, Jane wrapped her arms around Jesse's neck, whispering a thank you.

The two pairs went their separate ways, each looking for a different member of the Order of the Stone. They knew it wasn't going to be an easy journey. Nothing that involves danger is easy. But this was for the good of the world and the people who lived in it. As Lukas and Petra watched the pairs leave, they also watched as the sun's light began to fade, and thunder replaced the peaceful sound of the breeze. Off in the distance, they saw the blackness of the Wither Storm. It was still alive. It was still hungry and ready to eat up the world. Fear gripped Lukas and Petra, although they tried not to show it. They could only pray for hope.

"Please hurry..."


	10. Chapter 9: Boom Town

Running back through the open portal to the Nether, the traveling groups split ways on the tracks. Jane, Olivia and Reuben going to Redstonia while Jesse and Axel traveled to Boom Town. The two boys sat in their mine carts, listening to the click-clack sound of the tracks. The journey to the overworld alone was difficult, due to the Ghasts they had to fight off in the Nether just to get to the portals. But after arriving at their destination in the overworld, they discovered their dry, desolate surroundings pretty quickly. The air was stale and full of dust, which they discovered quickly upon their first breath after arriving. Around them existed a town, equivalent to a small city, but the buildings were far from properly structured. Perhaps they were secure at some point in the past. Not anymore. The sounds of explosions met all of their ears quickly, and after meandering through the town, both Jesse and Axel discovered the many traps and people that were associated with TNT. How anyone survived in Boom Town, they didn't know. The place was full of griefers; destructive people who destroyed anything and everything in their path without any guilty consent. Jesse hated the concept. Axel didn't care. He was only excited to meet Magnus.

The pair walked through the town filled with utter chaos and loud explosions. Jesse was hoping to find someone who could help them find Magnus. He held the Order's amulet tightly in his left hand, almost feeling bad for taking it. He knew it would've helped Jane a good deal, but he also knew she had Reuben and Olivia. His sister would be alright, despite her hint of ambition. It wasn't quite as reckless as Petra's but it was there, although she hid it most of the time. As the group walked, the amulet glowed a brighter green the further they meandered, helping them to locate faster where Magnus was, which turned out to be in a large spire located in a far corner of the town. The amulet was quite useful, especially since it was hard to ignore the chaos.

"Hey there, new people!" A teenage girl called out as she waved while running up to Jesse and Axel. Her hair was in pigtails, with a tint of indigo dye in her locks. Her t-shirt was striped with pink and white and she wore torn brown jeans. The only surprising feature about her was the black bandit mask that she had covering the top half of her face. "You looking for Magnus?" She asked, clearly wanting information, "All the griefers here in Boom Town wanna find Magnus, y'know."

Jesse nodded slowly, "Yes, and we believe we know where he is."

"We're on important business, so back off!" Axel commanded with his arms crossed.

The girl just rolled her eyes, "I hope it's not to give a fashion consultation because... sheesh!"

"What's going on?!" Someone shouted from on top of a roof of a collapsing nearby building.

"Nohr found some noobs with a thingy that can find Magnus." Someone with a gruff voice replied as he crawled out of an alley. One by one, dozens of griefers came, inventories loaded with explosives. Their faces were either painted or covered with masks enough to slightly disturb anyone, and their clothes smelled like gunpowder. It was so strong, both Jesse and Axel smelled it.

The girl, Nohr, scoffed, "Bunch of scavengers, this drop is mine!"

"Everyone just back off, alright?!" Jesse yelled, "We need this amulet to find Magnus, and-"

"Hey, we all wanna find Magnus, friend-o." The man with the gruff voice interrupted, trying to sound as intimidating as he possibly could. As if his red devil mask wasn't enough. Nohr took advantage of the distraction by swiping the amulet from Jesse's hand and running off. A chase instantly broke out. The griefers all began working together, trying their best to keep the amulet from Jesse and Axel. It was a frustrating chase, and Axel was starting to actually dislike Boom Town.

Jesse and Axel split up, looking for the person who had the amulet, since Nohr had passed it on to another during the chase and so on. Explosions erupted here and there, buildings only continued to collapse, and there were indefinite injuries. The frustration only continued. With a clenched jaw, Jesse was nearly ready to knock out cold the person who held the amulet. Running down sandy paths under the baking hot sun, continuing to doge falling TNT, he found her. Nohr. The amulet was back in her possession. And so he chased her with all the anger and frustration he could take out on anyone at this point.

Climbing up old buildings and running on the rooftops, Nohr shouted, "I've been trying to find Magnus for way too long for you to stop me now!"

Tackling Nohr, Jesse tried to pry the amulet out of her hands. He had a slight advantage, being he was a man and she was a teenage girl, but she was feisty! She even tried biting him once just to get away. It didn't work however, and the amulet was back in Jesse's possession quickly, much to Nohr's frustration. It didn't take long for her to light TNT. Jesse jumped off the roof, catching up with Axel as they ran to the spiral, working to lose the griefers that were on their tail.

After losing the troublemakers and arriving at Magnus' tower, they entered, looking around at the obsidian walls, roof and floor before falling down a trap. It landed them in a hidden room underground, but it was rough. The amulet fell out of Jesse's grasp, rolling across the floor to the other side of the room. The floor was merely a bridge over flowing lava, which made the room unbearably hot. Just as Jesse was about to run across the obsidian floor bridge and retrieve the amulet, he was stopped by a man entering on that exact side. The man was bald with a black bandit mask, much similar to Nohr's, and he wore green and gold robes.

"You are completely surrounded by death traps." The man threatened as he stood by a patch of levers on the wall, "One step closer... and KABOOM!" He pulled a lever, dropping unlit TNT. He laughed to himself at his genius traps while picking up the amulet, examining it with curiosity.

"It's Magnus!" Axel cheered, realizing who the man was, "We totally got caught by Magnus! Er... I think we're gonna die now."

"Did you really think you could sneak up on me?" Magnus scoffed, "Ha! You're two of the worst griefers I've ever met."

Jesse held his hands up, "We mean no offense! Honestly, we come here in peace."

"Uh huh uh huh, sure." Magnus' tone dripped with sarcasm, "So you're not a couple of griefers here to catch me unawares? Because, haha, lemme tell ya... I mean, that guy, he's got 'griefer' written all over him." He was referring to Axel, who looked shocked. Jesse knew Axel was Magnus' biggest fan, but he was not about to say that just yet.

Magnus was still more than sceptical, "So tell me something, 'Not Griefers'. How'd you find me? Who are you working for? You working with someone, or maybe you bribed another griefer? Heh, for two noobs, I'm impressed you found me."

"Gabriel sent us on this mission!" Jesse blurted out, not willing to hold back any information from him.

"Gabriel?!" Magnus scoffed again, "Ha! You're seriously telling me you're buddy-buddy with Gabriel? You know how often people try to tell me that one?" Dropping down another layer of TNT, he shouted, "Who are you really?! Why are you here?"

"The world is being destroyed!" Jesse exclaimed, nearly pleading.

Magnus raised an eyebrow, "You have me intrigued. Go on." He pulled a lever, throwing aside the TNT to allow Jesse and Axel to fully approach him. Jesse began to explain,

"There's a huge monster eating up the entire world, and nothing can stop it! That's why Gabriel told us to reunite the Order. Magnus, you've got to come with us. You might be the only chance we have!"

Magnus narrowed his eyes and dropped the TNT again, "Give me one reason why, for even a second, I should come with you. I am the ruler of this place."

"Boom Town, this place you've built up and are known for... it's about to be destroyed." Jesse nearly whispered, thinking about all the lives that would be taken away, "But if you come with us, we can still stop this."

Magnus crossed his arms, "All this stuff you've told me... you expect me to just take your word for it? Two strangers with wild stories, and nothing to show for it."

"Are you that paranoid?! Do you really not trust anyone?"

"That's how I've survived this long." Magnus growled.

"Please..." Jesse begged, "Just trust us for a minute, okay?"

There was a moment's pause as Magnus took a deep breath. They all waited in anticipation before he announce, "Okay okay, you sold me. I'm in." He threw aside all the TNT before continuing, "Oh, but we might have a little bit of a problem getting out of here."

"Huh?" Axel was confused, "You're Magnus. You can just walk outta here."

Magnus rolled his eyes, "Hello?! I don't know if you've looked around this place, but it's kinda full of griefers."

Axel shrugged, "But that's kinda awesome, right?"

"Hehe no. You've heard about 'Challenging the King for His Crown' thing, right? It's like their thing. So long as I'm king, I can't leave this tower. Simply put, that's life as King of Boom Town! Hahaha! Not as fun as you'd think. But the reality is, until a worthy challenger beats me, I'm sorta stuck. But you... you're the newcomers with the golden amulet. By now, there'll probably be all sorts of rumors about how awesome you are. If you beat me, then I'll be able to leave. Can't believe I didn't think of it before!"

Jesse shrugged, "Yeah, but assuming I won, wouldn't I be stuck here then?"

Magnus shook his head, "Nah, you're not as legendary as me. Should be easy enough to throw another fight or just give up the crown with way lower level griefers. The trick is, don't become a legend. But looking at you... well, anyway, I'm actually excited about this! But we gotta make sure it looks legit. The Death Bowl has never seen the carnage that we're about to create."

The Death Bowl? Both Jesse and Axel were confused at first, but they learned quickly. It was the match that would decide the fate of Magnus. Jesse was going to beat him, but it would be faked. Just for the sake of escaping Boom Town. The griefers gathered around outside where the match was to be held, screaming and cheering like wild animals. Both Jesse and Magnus built up their platforms and began to throw eggs at each other. Everything was going according to plan, until Magnus nearly hit Jesse with a pack of TNT.

"What about the plan?!" Jesse yelled at Magnus.

"NOBODY MESSES WITH THE BOOM MASTER!" He shouted, building up a canon. It was as if Magnus suddenly went crazy, and his eyes seemed to flare fire. Axel shouted for Jesse to hurry up and build a defense, which he did, but the canon Magnus constructed was beyond conceivable. Explosives began flying in all directions, grazing Jesse from time to time. In moments, he feared for his life. Magnus was supposed to throw the fight! Throwing up a bow and arrow to Jesse, Axel thought fast, hoping Jesse could set off the TNT resting behind Magnus. He did so, ending the chaotic fight faster than it began. The explosions rang in Jesse's ears, and he began to feel lightheaded. Nevertheless, he won, and the guilt on Magnus' face could be clearly seen.

"HOLY CRAP!" Magnus shrieked as he suddenly stood up, interrupting the cheers of the crowd. Thunder could be heard, and approaching the town was the Wither Storm. It had found them. The cheers interrupted into frightening screams as griefers became extracted through the tractor beam. The town was lost. Magnus continued to scream, and Jesse looked for a way of escape.

"Magnus, Axel, c'mon!" He shouted, pulling them away as they ran. The Wither Storm growled and roared from its three heads, eating everything in its path. Jesse searched for the portal, trying to dodge the crumbling buildings. Staying balanced was an issue as well, due to the tremors that rumbled through the ground. But as the portal was finally in sight, their adrenaline and fear gripped them as the trio jumped through.


	11. Chapter 10: Redstonia

The journey in the MineCarts for Jane, Olivia and Reuben took much longer, considering that Redstonia was further away. Upon arriving through the portal, they found themselves standing on a dome-like platform surrounded by water. They were in the middle of a fjord that surrounded all of the city of Redstonia. It was indeed a beautiful sight. A path rose up from the water, connecting itself to the platform the trio stood on, allowing them to safely walk to the land. Olivia gaped at the sights around her, trying to take in all the phenomenal engineering that had to have taken place. In the center of Redstonia sat a large dome, which the trio approached, seeing a large crowd gathering around it. Looking up, they saw her. Ellegaard, the world's greatest redstone engineer. She stood on the dome's high balcony, announcing loudly with a smile on her face,

"Builders of Redstonia, I want you to know how much I value and adore each and every one of you! Your hard work inspires me every day! I am about to to enter my Dome of Concentration, where I will be unreachable for the foreseeable future. But, I will emerge when I complete my latest and greatest creation: the Command Block! So please, continue working, continue building! And whichever person most impresses me, they shall be my protege! Ready to help me usher in a new era of innovation and creativity? Calvin, throw the switch!"

The man, appearing to be Calvin, switched a lever on the side of a building, putting it in complete lockdown. It was very disappointing to see. Even as the trio asked Calvin afterwards if they could go inside, he turned them down flat. It seemed hopeless at this point, and they had only just arrived!

Olivia and Jane split up, looking around to try and find someone who could help them. Of course, Reuben stayed with Jane. Redstonia was full of really nice people and cool inventions, but no one was available or willing to help them. It was disheartening. As Jane walked around the group of inventions that rested near the dome, she couldn't seem to take her eyes off them. For a moment, she realized why Olivia was into all the science. It was fascinating. However, due to not paying attention to where she was going, Jane bumped into someone, knocking them over.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Jane exclaimed, hurrying to help them up.

"It's alright." The person replied, who happened to be a teenage girl no older than sixteen. She stood up quickly and brushed the dust off of her pants, "Hey, I've never seen you here before." The girl continued with curiosity, "And I never forget a face! Except for that one time when I was nine. I had a fever and forgot who my friends were for a day. But anyway, don't mind my random rambling! I'm Zoe!"

Jane chuckled at the hyper girl before replying, "I'm Jane. This is my pet pig, Reuben. And yes, we're new here."

"Awesome! And oh my goodness, your pig is so ADORABLE! Can I pet him?!"

Jane nodded with a smile, watching afterwards as Zoe began to pet little Reuben. He squealed in delight. He liked Zoe.

"Are you here to make an invention?" Zoe asked quickly once she stood up.

Jane shook her head, "No, we actually came here on important business to speak to Ellegaard. But, she's locked herself in her dome, apparently."

"Yep! She's left the rest of us to make inventions so she can decide who she can make her protege. Honestly I hope it's me. I don't need another person to boss me around... I'm Ellegaard's niece, by the way. She's taken care of me since forever, I guess. But c'mon, I wanna show you my invention!"

Not even bothering to wait for a reply, she grabbed Jane's hand and led her to the invention. Reuben made sure to follow close behind.

"Ta daaaaa!" Zoe cheered as she showed off the contraption.

"What is it?" Jane asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's my automatic food making machine!" Zoe announced with glee as she flicked a lever. Out popped a bowl of mushroom stew, "Food is life. And I love this stuff!" She sipped at the stew before continuing, "So, you wanna get in the dome?"

Jane shrugged, "Yeah, I mean, that is why I'm talking to you. I tried asking the guy named Calvin, but he wouldn't help me."

"Ugh! I hate Calvin. He tried taking my soup once and I never forgave him. Ever. But, you're in luck! I'm currently the only one allowed in the dome at this time, so I can help smuggle you guys in!"

Jane's eyes widened, "You would do that?"

"Of course! Anything for a friend. Plus, I know how to unlock everything and get ya inside without trouble. C'mon, let's go!"

Leading them away towards the dome, they met up with Olivia. Zoe quickly led them inside, and although it was heavily protected in redstone traps, they had no trouble getting in, just as promised. When they found Ellegaard, she was pacing back and forth, talking to herself and thinking. Hard.

Zoe cleared her throat, "Aunt Elle, you have guests!"

Ellegaard snapped out of it, turning quickly to see everyone. She spoke to her niece, "Zoe, what did I tell you about letting people in here at this time?"

"I'm sorry... but these people really wanted to see you! I just couldn't say no."

Ellegaard heaved a sigh, trying to keep her composure calm. She turned to Jane, Olivia and Reuben before speaking, "Don't touch anything. It's all supremely fragile and genius. Are you my new assistances? Assistances with a stupidly adorable pig!"

"No, Aunt Elle, that's not why they're here!" Zoe snapped, losing her cheerfulness for a moment, "They have something important to tell you. I don't know what, but please, do not put them to work."

"She's right." Jane admitted, "We're not here to be your assistances, as much as my friend Olivia here would like. But we're here because we need your help. Desperately. There's a giant Wither Storm attacking the entire world!"

"A Wither... what?" Ellagaard was skeptical, "What are you talking about? Who sent you?"

"It's Ivor, he created the terrible monster!" Olivia emphasized, getting straight to the point.

"And Gabriel sent us to bring back together the Order of the Stone." Jane continued sternly, "We need your help to save the world!"

Ellegaard nearly stumbled back as she held her hands up, "Look, you both seem like very pleasant people, but I simply don't have the brain power for this. I'm in the middle of my greatest project to date. A powerful block capable of altering reality itself! I'm so close, I can practically taste it!"

"The command block is what Ivor used to create the Wither Storm!" Jane nearly shouted, feeling unnecessarily tense, "That's what I've been trying to tell you! The world needs the Order of the Stone."

"The Order is not together anymore. There is nothing I can do to help. I'm sorry."

"And you're quitting? Just like that?!" Zoe seemed surprised and hurt as she burst out, "I had more faith in you than that, Aunt Elle! And I know my mom would've, too!"

"Please refrain from bringing up your mother!" Ellegaard whisper yelled before getting back to the situation at hand, "I couldn't possibly help you in any way. I'm very sorry."

Hearing thunder and a loud growl, a tentacle crashed through the walls of the dome. The Wither Storm had arrived. They could hear the terrified screams of the people outside, and the blackened sky flashed with lightning.

"Zoe, get out of here!" Ellegaard screamed, grabbing her niece's hand and dragging her out. Jane scooped up Reuben as she and Olivia followed Ellegaard and Zoe out of the dome. They had to run through the portal if there was any chance of surviving.

"I don't want to die!" Zoe screeched as she heard the dome collapse from behind them. Running out in a hurry, they tried to dodge flying blocks and people. All the inventions were disassembled, and the people were taken before they even knew what was happening. Jane tried to stay calm as she cradled Reuben, but she was afraid. She almost wished Jesse was by her side to comfort her. This was not what she wanted to happen to the entire world. It was frightening.

As they ran to the portal, the Wither Storm began to follow them, roaring while trying to bring them in range of its tractor beam.

"Stay close to me!" Ellegaard commanded Zoe, trying to keep her safe. They ran across the bridge over the fjord to the platform where the portal lay. Their escape was just up ahead. They were one step closer to bringing together the Order who would save the world! Just as they were about to jump through, there was only one person in the group that came in range of the tractor beam. Zoe. She screamed for help, but there was nothing they could do. Ellegaard could only watch in pure horror before Jane and Olivia pulled her through. Although the four of them made it safely, Ellegaard's cries of terror, sadness and rage were not obsolete.


	12. Chapter 11: Soren's Armory

The groups arrived back at the temple through the portals, happily finding that both Lukas and Petra had properly fortified the place. They all began asking each other if they were okay once they had made it safely inside. Jesse constantly asked Jane if she was alright, and she feigned her response in the end. Petra went around with her peppy comments and actions. But she was acting different, and Jesse noticed it the most. She seemed... tired.

The sun was setting and the breeze was cool. Taking a moment to breathe and let all the past moments sink in, it felt like a pang in their chests. They thought of the lives that had been taken, the fear existing in the remaining people. Even their homes were destroyed. It was all gone, and they had never felt so desperate.

"Boy, I can't remember the last time I saw this place." Magnus breathed out finally as he took in the details of the temple.

"Would someone care to explain what you are doing here?" Ellegaard suddenly hissed out as she stormed up to Magnus, seemingly putting venom behind the word "you".

Petra raised an eyebrow, "Call this a hunch... but do you two not like each other?"

"I guess you don't really understand the definition of 'bringing back the Order'." Magnus said to Ellegaard with great aggravation, refusing to answer Petra's question.

"I know very well what it means!" Ellegaard nearly shouted back, "Part of me was hoping I wasn't going to see you here. That they would forget you existed. And what do you expect to do against this Wither Storm? Just blow it up?! You wouldn't stand a chance. I saw it myself. It came out of nowhere and just... destroyed everything."

"Little too scary for ya, Elle? Couldn't just think it away?"

"You weren't there... I lost my niece to that monster!"

Magnus scoffed, "Ha, you couldn't even save her? How do you expect to help save the world?"

"This arguing isn't helping anything!" Jesse emphasized, trying to put a stop to it as he saw tears forming in Ellegaard's eyes, "If we want to stop the Wither Storm, we are going to need some serious firepower."

Magnus rolled his eyes, "Well, I don't know if you've had the chance to poke around this old place yet, but it's pretty much stripped bare. It would take a mountain of TNT to kill that monster! And we don't have the kind of time to craft any, either."

"Against such an unthinkable enemy, even all the TNT in the world might not be enough!" Ellegaard spoke shakily, still reliving the dramatic events in her mind, "If only Soren were here... He might have something we could use."

"Oh Elle, not this again!" Magnus groaned, "You know I hate it when you brag about you and Soren's little brainy club."

"I'm not bragging! I think I've got a legitimate idea here. Soren had a kind of... Super TNT, stronger and more explosive than anything else in the world. He called it the Formidi-Bomb."

"Yeah yeah yeah, I've heard all about the 'F-Bomb' before. Soren claimed that dropping the F-Bomb could destroy anything. All that brainy crap."'

"We need to find Soren!" Jane added in quickly, pulling Jesse aside so he could activate the amulet on the pedestal. He did so, seeing what his sister was getting at. Soren's light had never shown up before, but there was still hope. There was always hope. As the entire group gathered around, a white light flickered then beamed on the map a little ways from Magnus and Ellegaard's light.

"There he is!" Ellegaard breathed out in excitement and relief, "Soren had his fortress deep inside the mountains. After the Order... broke up, that's where he went to keep doing his experiments." The light was located at the top of the map, half a night or day's walking distance. It was too close to take a portal, however.

As they studied the map, a dark blue light appeared, startling them all. They had never seen it before, but knowing it was not Gabriel, it could only mean one other person.

"Ivor..." Jane hissed out.

"He's going to Soren's!" Ellegaard announced with panic, seeing the blue light move towards the white, "We need to move."

"As much as going out into the night sounds like a bad idea, we need to go now before the sun fully sets." Lukas announced, hoping to have a helpful solution, "We can't risk the Wither Storm catching up with us."

Everyone a little more or less agreed with him, and after gathering a few weapons, they headed off into the setting sun, hoping to reach Soren's fortress before Ivor arrived.

As the dead of night hit, the biome was dark and very hard to see, if not crawling with monsters. No one spoke much. Perhaps trying to avoid arguments. But as the silence lingered, Jane caught up with Ellegaard, remembering what she had seen in Redstonia. She was most likely hurting inside.

"Hey... you doing okay over there?" Jane asked the quiet Redstone Engineer.

Ellegaard forced a smile before replying, "As well as can be expected. But I can't help but question why you want me on your team."

"Why would you question that? You're the smartest one here! We need you desperately."

"Even after I've been a failure? I couldn't even save Zoe, or my town. Besides looking for Soren and his Formidi-Bomb, I don't know what else to do!"

"None of this is your fault, Ellegaard. Even with what happened to Zoe. You can't blame yourself for something you couldn't prevent."

Tears pricked the sides of Ellegaard's eyes as she replied, "Zoe was the only person of my family left. She was everything to me. I promised my sister I would always look out for her and protect her. Breaking that promise is like losing my sister all over again!" She held in a sob, although her breathing was shaky.

"What happened to your sister... if you don't mind me asking?" Jane wondered, hoping it was the right approach.

Ellegaard breathed deep, "My younger sister, Elliana, was an adventurer. She was a go-getter. The hyper one of the family. I was always more of the motherly, controlling figure, but Elliana and I loved each other dearly. Well, one day years ago, my sister and her husband decided to take an adventuring trip together. Zoe was a baby at the time. I was instructed to watch after her until they returned. After taking a couple friends with them, they claimed to be traveling to an underwater sea temple. They never came back... Since then, I made a promise to guide and protect my sister's only daughter. And now I've failed her."

It hurt Jane so much to hear such a saddening story. Ellegaard seemed to be doing very well at holding her composure, no matter how much it hurt. These events were enough to make the engineer bend, but she hadn't broken yet.

"I promise, all will turn out right in the end." Jane encouraged, "Everything happens for a reason, but hearing this story has caused me to believe that you are the bravest of us all."

Ellegaard smiled through her glistening tears, "Thank you, Jane. I needed to hear that."

After walking through the moonlight and fighting through a swarm of mobs, they arrived at their destination. Soren's fortress within a mountain. The two large, silver doors opened automatically as they approached, allowing them inside. The place was lined with quartz and colored clay, and the entranced seemed to be shaped into a spiral. They walked in further, some whispering under their breaths that the place was magnificent or enchanting. Petra only seemed to be the one keeping herself distant as she broke out into random fits of coughing. They all continued to search the fortress, but the arguing between Magnus and Ellegaard never ceased. It only continued to get worse, up until the point where they split up and left the group, both going down separate hallways to look for the Super TNT.

"It's hard to pick 'glass half full' when they keep kicking the glass over." Olivia finally groaned after the two members had left.

"They definitely have issues to work through." Jesse agreed, "But hopefully they'll work things out and get on with the important stuff."

They continued to figure out which way to go, finally deciding to split up and go down different hallways to cover more ground. Petra ended up pulling Jesse and Jane down a hallway with her, claiming to have something important and private to say. Reuben followed them.

"I feel bad about ditching everyone else, but I just wanted to talk to you two alone about something." Petra finally spoke softly, breaking the silence after they had begun to walk down the dark and seemingly abandoned hallway.

"Hey, whatever it is, we trust you. You can tell us anything." Jesse replied while placing a hand on her shoulder.

"We're here for you, Petra." Jane continued with a meek smile.

"Thanks for being so understanding." Petra thanked the twins while trying to gather up the courage to admit what she was about to say, "You got me away from the Wither Storm... but I'm worried that I didn't get away soon enough."

Stopping dead in their tracks, the twins both let out an audible gasp as Petra pulled up the sleeve on her left arm. An oozing gouge discolored in purple.

"Oh my gosh, Petra, what happened?!" Jane asked frantically at the sight.

"One of the tentacles from the Wither Storm cut my arm pretty badly. Instead of it turning out to be just a normal injury, I think it became infected with the storm's poison. Do you know what Wither is? Just Wither, or Wither Sickness, I guess. And... I feel like it's just going to keep getting worse."

"Well we're gonna go back and tell the others. We can get help!" Jesse demanded, suddenly feeling like his stomach was in complete knots.

"You can't tell anyone about this!" Petra begged.

Jane nodded in understanding, "Your secret is safe with us."

Suddenly hearing the hiss of a mob, they turned to see a creeper just before it exploded, creating a large hole to a tunnel under the floor, which the twins fell down. Petra tried to grab them, but she was too weak. Reuben was up with her, looking at his owners down the hole. He squealed in utter fright.

"Guys... I just couldn't... I-I'm sorry..." Petra apologized, tears forming in her dark green eyes.

"Go and find the others, we'll be okay!" Jesse shouted up to her. Petra nodded and left with Reuben.

Looking at their surroundings, the twins walked down the hallway. The amulet was in Jesse's hand and it was glowing brightly. The further down the underground tunnel they walked, the brighter it glowed. And so they continued. Finally making it to the end, they entered a passage that led to a library room enlightened with glowstone. It looked as if the room was made of stars shining through a blackened night. It was astonishing. They searched around the room, finally finding another. It was a smaller library, but with inventory storage and better lighting. It was soothing; not quite as blinding or distracting. However, in the corner of the room rummaging through a chest was a man. By the sound of him mumbling to himself, they knew it was Ivor. They called out his name, causing him to snap around quickly.

"You!" He growled, narrowing his eyes, "Trying to interfere with my plans again, I see. Your tenacity is commendable, yet misguided."

"What are you doing down here?" Jane demanded before Jesse even had a chance to speak.

"Being rudely interrupted by you!" Ivor snapped back.

"We're here with the Order to find Soren's Super TNT." Jesse explained, not looking for a fight, "We're going to take down your Wither Storm."

"The Order? Haha! Believe me, that plan will blow up in their faces in more ways than one! They cannot help you. But me? I choose not to. Out of my way!"

"Oh you're not going anywhere!" The sound of Petra's voice hissed as she entered the room with her golden sword drawn. Ivor equally pulled one out and a duel began. The twins were worried and knew they had to help. Petra was sick and weak. Working together to strike and knock him down, they made sure to do nothing more than minor injuries. No fatalities. But Ivor was witty. Pulling out a Potion of Speed, he drank it down, running around them like the wind. Petra was slapped across the face and she fell over, aggravating Jesse the most. He kicked Ivor down and had him pinned until the potion effects ran off. Jane pulled out her bow and arrow, pointing it at the man who was fighting her brother.

"Move, and I release the arrow." Jane threatened with a stone face.

Axel, Lukas and Oliva ran into the room in time to see the chaotic events. Ellegaard and Magnus were not with them.

"Even more of you?" Ivor moaned, "Will this parade of useless babblers never cease?!"

"It looks like you've stopped Ivor." Axel added with a chuckle.

"False." Ivor smirked, kicking Jane over and throwing down a Potion of Slowness, "You have stopped nothing." Laughing to himself as he watched everyone around him move in slow motion, he left the room muttering, "Magnus and Ellegaard may think they can stop me, that they can destroy the Wither Storm... But they are mistaken! And it will cost them their lives."


	13. Chapter 12: Dead End

Jane felt light as a feather, although it was oddly unpleasant. She watched as Ivor left the library room, locking them in from the outside, and there was nothing she or anyone else could do about it. As the slowness effect ran off, allowing them to move at normal speed again, they all paused for a moment, hoping to calm down the anxiety that rose within them. Jesse was by his sister's side as soon as they felt close to normal again. Realizing it was Petra that truly needed help, the twins assisted in helping her stand, leading her to a place where she could sit. The redhead insisted that she was fine and that they were only drawing attention, but the twins wouldn't hear any of it. Especially Jesse, who cared more than anyone realized. Petra's sickness was getting worse. It only continued to grow, manifesting the disease quicker than expected.

"Look at this..." Petra whimpered out to the twins as she showed them her arm, making sure no one was looking as they sat across the room. Her arm looked discolored, as if the life was draining out, "I'm not trying to freak you out, but I'm a little freaked out right now. It's even starting to feel stiff."

"We have to tell the others." Jesse emphasized under his breath, gently placing his hands on Petra's shoulders.

"This isn't a 'we' thing."

"Yes it is, we're a team!" Jane replied to the redhead's stern comment, "They all deserve to know."

Petra shrugged, "Maybe... Look, I'll tell them. Eventually."

"You have to." Jane nodded, looking deep into Petra's eyes as if saying "we will be your anchor".

"It's just gonna cause panic, and we can't afford that right now. If it becomes more of a thing, I'll tell everyone. But... let me do it."

Jane nodded before walking away to keep the rest of the group occupied, leaving Jesse and Petra in the corner of the room alone.

"You need to take off this tough mask you've put on." Jesse bluntly stated, not willing to hold back his thoughts any longer.

Petra's eyes widened, "I'm doing what's best for the team! You can't put that on me, I'm stressed enough as it is. It's hard admitting to be the one who helped create the Wither Storm, that it was partly my fault."

"No it was not. How can you blame yourself for that?!"

"Because... because I was the one that delivered the last wither skull. If I wasn't so... needy, I wouldn't have taken Ivor up on his offer. But I did, and now look at where we are. Look at where I'm at."

Jesse held his breath for a second, trying to let all of his thoughts process. He didn't want to make Petra feel like he was blaming her. It wasn't even close to being her fault. If only she could see that.

"Look... the only reason I'm saying these things is cause I care about you. More than you know." Jesse finally admitted, "I might as well say it now. We may not very well survive this... adventure, and I'd rather say it than not."

Petra smirked, "I always knew you were a big softy. No harm in telling me. I appreciate it."

Jesse's gaze softened as he suddenly cupped his hands around Petra's face, "I promise, I'm gonna find a way to make you better. No matter what it takes. You won't die."

Tears escaped the corners of Petra's eyes as she could feel her strength draining even more. She knew she didn't have long. Dying was a concept she never gave much thought, but now being on the brink of it, death was terrifying. Jesse leaned in closer to Petra's face, and they could feel each other's breath. Part of Petra wanted this, but she wasn't sure. Was it right? Everything hurt inside.

"No!" Petra whispered, placing her right index finger over Jesse's lips before they met hers, "The sickness, it might... it might be contagious."

Jesse nodded, standing and then helping Petra up before they joined with the group again.

After coming up with a plan, the group decided to dig out of the room. They didn't expect Magnus and Ellegaard to return, so they began to leave without them, using the amulet as a guide to where Soren could be. The encouraging sign was the white glow emitting from the amulet. Despite some friction and a few arguments amongst the group, they were able to find loose stone tiles in the floor. They dug down, coming across a dark passage. Droplets of water could be heard dripping on the cold stone, but they searched the catacombs, hoping to find a helpful source. The glow from the amulet brightened, but the tunnel only continued. For a moment, it seemed like they were going to hit a dead end. Until they reached the edge. It opened up to a large, dark room of other tunnels below them, and they were high up.

"This is a grinder!" Olivia shrieked, realizing what they were in. A mob grinder, meant to kill monsters and collect the loot. Useful when not stuck inside one, "We have to get out of here!"

The sound of rushing water met their ears, ready to rush them down and out of the tunnel. Jumping out on top of another tunnel, they made their way through, using creepers to blow up the crushing pistons so they could have a safe passage.

Holding their breaths, they all swam, including Reuben, who seemed to be a bit shaken up from all the chaos. He tried to stay as close to Jane as he possibly could. They were sucked down tubes resting in the water, draining them out into the loot deposit room, already filling with mobs that also made it through the grinder. Finding their way running through the room and into another, they discovered an end portal. Those were very rare. Hardly even existent! But as the mobs approached, they had no time to decide. They all jumped through, feeling their bodies and minds enter a whole new world. The End.

The entire place was dark. The sky was purple, and the end stone did not feel level. As they meandered around the obsidian pillars, they found themselves in a herd of Enderman. Shielding their eyes, the group slowly crept through, finally finding another building. It was more than likely Soren's. Entering with caution through ladders and a long staircase, they looked around. Reuben rested, snuggling in Jane's arms as they examined their surroundings. It was colorful. So bright a beautiful, it felt like something out of a dream. A whole room that looked like the overworld on a sunny day, all made out of colored wool.

"You're telling me we've been resting all our hopes on this guy, and the whole time he's been building some totally artificial happyland?!" Lukas burst out, starting to feel aggravated, "We came here for nothing! What are we even supposed to do now?"

"Lukas, what's the matter with you?" Jane asked, furrowing her brows, "Why are you acting like this?"

"Just look around, Jane! If the greatest builder of all time has spent years working on this, what are the chances he'll even have that bomb, huh? I've had enough crazy for one day."

"Lukas..." Jane soothed, putting a hand on his shoulder after setting Reuben down.

"Don't touch me!" He shouted, "Just... just leave alone. See if you can get us out of this mess."


	14. Chapter 13: Beginning of the End Part 1

The twins walked around the wool room, taking in the bright, vibrant colors. It sadly contrasted with the gloomy attitudes of their friends, yet they tried to keep their spirits high, despite what they had been through. Taking in the interior of the dome-shaped room, they were enlightened by the light blue and white wool used to create the fake sky. Even bits of glowstone added the radiant light needed to reflect the colors. The ground was made of lime wool, along with the leaves of the fake trees. Although the room was a fake miniature biome, real water flowed through tiny creeks under real wooden bridges made from spruce trees. A fountain made of that exact wood was what pumped the water through the small rivers. The trickling sound helped to calm their spirits.

With no clear way out of the room despite the trap doors they crawled through, the group looked around, finally finding some levers that unlocked an open passage through a wall in the fake hills. Faint music could be heard playing from down the dark hallway that was revealed. None of them knew whether to feel intrigued or terrified.

"Great... now on to Weirdoville in 3, 2, 1..." Lukas grumbled under his breath before they began to walk through the passage. Jane furrowed her brows, being the only one to hear Lukas' comment. She understood the stress level, but she did not want to tolerate bad attitudes or complaining. It would only tear down the other members. Maybe Lukas wasn't who she thought he was.

The hallway led to another, but it was beautifully architectured, as if it was part of a mansion. It was long enough for three quartz fountains to be flowing elegantly. The torches added a dim, soothing glow, and they all of a sudden did not feel so nervous anymore. Despite that, their shock that this home existed in the End was great. They eventually split up into two groups. Lukas, Axel and Petra were in one while Jesse, Jane, Olivia and Reuben were in another. Checking every room, small and large, the group of four finally found one appearing to be of use. It also happened to be the one the music emitted from. Opening the door, they slowly walked in. No one could be seen, but Reuben was quick to start sniffing out the jukebox that played the music. It was soothing to listen too, yet the twins and Olivia were still greatly confused.

"And I call that one 'Symphony in E'!" A voice started echoing from the recording after the song finished playing, "A new composition to celebrate my newest discovery! This time, I observed one place a block on top of another block. Rudimentary, yes, but a sign of undeniable intelligence! "

"It must be Soren speaking in the recording!" Jane realized, beginning to observe the jukebox and the many other records in nearby item frames. They all continued to listen, including the little piglet.

"I hope I'm not imagining things. Goodness knows, it's happened before. Haha... Ha... Hahahaha! I better... eat something. I'm positively lightheaded with excitement!"

The recording fuzzed out to a stop, leaving the four of them to wonder what in the heck he was talking about.

"Perhaps these are voice logs, like an audio journal?" Olivia questioned, attempting to be useful, "If we knew what he was talking about, it would help us so much more."

Jesse nodded, "I second that." Turning to his sister, he spoke, "Jane, put in the next record."

Obeying quickly, Jane grabbed one out of an item frame, replacing the old record with the new one. In anticipation and slight excitement, they all listened to Soren speak.

"Our next step is to see whether they might be able to be persuaded into building collaboratively. I've worked up a set of building instructions to 'inspire' them. I will disguise myself and hide among them into order to observe them more closely. Ooh! I feel a new composition coming on!"

As sudden as the recording started, it ended.

"Hide among who...?" Jane mumbled to herself while scratching little Reuben behind his left ear.

"Uh... do you think Soren is talking about them?!" Olivia suddenly asked as she took a couple steps back while pointing to a large window on the other side of the room. The glass in the window was tainted a dark purple, yet they could still see that on the other side was the End, and walking around on the end stone were Endermen. Hundreds of them, slothing around with their lengthy black seven foot bodies and glowing purple eyes. Such confusing and frightening creatures, who swore to kill you if you looked them in the eyes even once. It was as if they could copy every image of your brain and then hating what they saw, hence the reason they afterwards wished death upon you. If Endermen could even think, of course. No one truly understood them. Perhaps that was Soren's goal.

"Do you think he's actually training Endermen to build stuff?" Jesse asked with furrowed brows, not truly understanding the concept.

"I think he thinks he's training Endermen to build stuff." Jane answered while stifling a laugh, scooping Reuben into her arms and standing up, "Put in the other records and see what we can discover in here. I am definitely not going outside to find other clues or Soren."

Jesse put in the records, and they all listened as they played, hoping for some enlightenment.

"I have been watching the Endermen up close today, and I am convinced I may have caught them... communicating. Or the very least, two of them stood near each other for an extended period. It was very exciting. Then they wandered away. But it seemed deliberate. Maybe... Perhaps the creatures are telepathic, speaking into each other's minds with only a stare, and when we look at them, it dampens their abilities, making them angry and altering their behavior. I am only making guesses, but at any rate, this is astounding! Anyway, I followed one of them for the next three hours. I didn't learn much, despite the fact that the creature seemed... unsettled. Whether it felt lonely or knew it was being watched, I won't know. For the time being, that is."

As the recording ended, they knew they had recovered the majority of needed information. But, in order to move ahead, they would have to look around.

There wasn't much, the room was basically sleeping quarters. There were two armor stands in front of the window. One had an Enderman disguise on it and the other did not. Searching through unlocked chests, they discovered some blueprints with what looked like a crafting pattern on a grid. It seemed so oddly simple for need of blueprints, but perhaps it was for the Endermen's "inspiration" like Soren himself mentioned in the recording.

"Okay..." Oliva began, scratching her head, "If Soren is using those blueprints to teach the Endermen how to build... and there's a disguise missing from the stand... he must be conducting his experiment outside right now!"

"Which means if we want to get to Soren, we have to go out there to do it..." Jesse groaned.

"No, please, Jess, don't go out with all those Endermen!" Jane pleaded with a squealing Reuben.

"Sis, we have no choice. I'll be wearing the leftover disguise anyway, and even start creating the recipe on these blueprints to get Soren's attention. Trust me, I'll be okay."

Jane hesitantly nodded in understanding as she held Reuben close.

Knowing the recipe called for pink clay blocks, Jesse grabbed some that were oddly lying around the room. Then putting on the disguise, he ran outside through the door near the window that was thankfully provided. He only had eight clay blocks, and the recipe called for nine. Seeing an Enderman holding the last block he needed, Jesse took a chance and grabbed it out of its hands. The Enderman seemed infuriated and confused, growling inhumanly, upsetting the others around it. Jesse knew he now had to hurry. Finding the grid built into the ground, Jesse followed the recipe, looking around to see if Soren was coming. He could see no one. Only crazy Enderman swarming around him.

"I'm sorry." He heard a man say from behind him, "But it has to look real."

That's when Jesse was knocked out cold.


	15. Chapter 14: Beginning of the End Part 2

Jesse could feel his heartbeat thumping in his ears. The fuzzed out image of the room only stayed disoriented with his muffled breathing. As the tunnel vision left him, so did the annoying ringing in his ears. Left behind was a constant aching in the side of his head, and only then did he discover he was lying down. He was back in Soren's sleeping quarters.

"I... I don't think it'll bruise. Your face, I mean." He heard Soren speak from beside him, coaxing for him to get up. Reuben at once ran up to Jesse and began rubbing his snout on his face as if to ask, "Master, are you okay?" Jane was kneeling by her brother as well, already helping him up.

"You must be Soren." Jesse groaned once he was finally in a standing position.

The man nodded, "I am. But, must I be? I'm not sure if I want to sometimes. Sometimes I'd prefer to be anything but Soren. Ooh, like a donkey, for example!"

"Why did you hit my brother?!" Jane snapped while still supporting Jesse as he stood.

"There were strategic reasons." The ginger man replied, "And a personal one. You are trespassing, after all."

"You hit me. Hard. In the face!" Jesse stressed, finally regaining balance on his own.

Soren crossed his arms, "You upset the Endermen, and I got you to safety. By the way, as far as introductions are concerned, this is not going very well."

"We're in danger." Olivia spoke up, noticing the distressed looks on the twins' faces.

"Oh, what else is new?!" Soren whined, "Whatever your issue is, whatever your problem... it has occurred before and has been solved before. Even so, what do you need me for? I've gone out of my way to avoid these types of problems."

"Help us save the world!" Jane pleaded, taking a few steps closer to the Order's leader.

"How?" He asked her, secretly intrigued.

"The Formidi-Bomb." She answered, hoping he would gladly offer it, "There's a Wither Storm on the loose, and it's eating the world!"

Soren's expression hardened, "Ah, I see. You misspoke. You don't need me. You need my stuff. Well... I've found that when you give people what they want, they turn on you. They become resentful."

"Don't you want to be a hero?" Jesse asked, attempting to get through to the strange man.

"Ha!" Soren scoffed, "I've tried that already. The results were mixed. It's why I prefer Endermen. They always do what you expect, almost to a fault. You're strangers, and what you're asking for is too dangerous."

"Gabriel asked us to reassemble the Order of the Stone." Olivia piped in, seeing the disagreements, "Respect his last wishes. He was taken by the monster eating our world."

The great builder's expression finally softened, along with the tone of his smooth voice, "Gabriel? The Order of the Stone? They asked for me? I always knew they needed me, but I was never sure if they wanted me."

"We all need you and want you!" Jane answered with a burning hope, "You are our current last option in saving the world. Our home! It's not just us, it's for the good of the people. Your friends need your help in keeping this Order from falling apart again. Please..."

Soren twirled his mustache, pondering before shrugging, "I don't know... but are you my friend?"

Jane didn't know how to answer at first. She simply nodded, hoping that set things straight.

"That's the best thing I've heard in years!" Soren cheered.

"Don't worry, I'm going to help you, because that's what friends do!" Soren spoke with a delighted tone, seeming much happier than before, "But, before we leave, I'm going to give my old friends a gift. The gift of song!"

Soren began to sing, slightly disturbing the twins and Olivia. Reuben included.

"Gary may seem scary, but he's a swell guy

Sally dilly dallies, give her credit, she tries

They might look the same to the untrained eyyyeeee

But that's a lie, and so I sayyy..."

The door suddenly burst open, and in ran Lukas, followed by Axel and Petra, interrupting Soren's strange song. The three of them muttered amongst themselves in awe that Soren had been found.

"Nice to meet you, Soren." Petra croaked out before entering a fit of coughing.

"My, you look... terrible." Soren gasped, seeing the obvious signs of the Wither Sickness taking over her body. Her skin was sunken in and gray, her eyes were looking red and irritated. It was a struggle for her just to keep them open. Before anyone else could say another word, sound of teleportation, a hiss met their ears. The Endermen began teleporting inside, growling and making noises unheard to any of them before.

"Seems a bit odd..." Soren pondered, "You've upset them. You've altered their behavior!" The creatures began screaming bloody murder, as if planning to attack.

Running out of the room and through the halls now filled with Endermen, they attempted at an escape back to the overworld. They made it into the wool room, but the End creatures grew in hostility and ferociousness, if not becoming bit more self aware. Soren began explaining how the Enderman hated water. They would never touch it, for whatever reason. He told the group his plan of escape,

"When I constructed this place, I worried about how flammable my building material was. So I installed a fire suppression system to prevent the whole thing from going up in flames. If we activate it, we could disperse all these Endermen while we swim to safety! The lever is up on top of the fountain."

Without hesitation, Jesse climbed the fountain and switched on the lever. Instantly, the room began to fill up entirely with water. Although it was a struggle, the plan worked, and they all began to swim towards the trap doors. Petra began gasping violently for air once they made it out, and while leaning desperately on Jesse, she was able to follow the others as they all entered Soren's exit portal, escaping the End forever.

It was time. Time to end the devastation overcoming the world. Grabbing all the ingredients needed to create Soren's Formidi-Bomb, existing of Super TNT and gunpowder, they rode in MineCarts built by the Order's leader himself, helping them to exit his fortress quickly. Just outside waiting for them stood Magnus and Ellegaard, seeming quite oddly pleased to see them all, especially Soren. They were astounded! The Wither Storm was approaching, and they had to hurry. It was time to fortify the plan.

"It's time to go!" Soren shouted once the Wither Storm was fairly close to them, "We only get one shot at this. Remember, once the Formidi-Bomb is crafted, it'll explode in a matter of seconds. It means whoever is doing the crafting will be in great danger."

"That would be us." Jane announced, earning a shocked glare from her twin brother. She knew he was already planning to do the crafting, but there was no way she was letting him do it alone.

"You're not coming with me!" Jesse stated, shaking his head quickly.

"Yes I am!" Jane responded with a firm look, "And you're not talking me out of it."

"Whatever the case, take our armor." Ellegaard insisted to the twins, already taking hers off. Magnus did the same.

"No, you'll only leave yourselves vulnerable." Jane denied, putting her hands up in front of her.

Magnus shrugged, "Isn't this part of what it means to be a hero, though?"

Jesse smiled and nodded before the twins finally decided to take the armor. Turning to face the upcoming monster, they prepared themselves for anything. It was go time.


	16. Chapter 15: To Kill a Wither Storm

They ran, feeling their lungs burn and legs throb. But the feeling was irrelevant. They knew what they were doing was for the good of the world. The twins wore the armor of Magnus and Ellegaard, and the entire group began running towards the hungry monster.

"Jesse, Jane, you two are going to have to set down a crafting table out there and make that Formidi-Bomb!" Soren said to the twins as they all continued to run, "Everyone else, grab a buddy and split up. We need to keep that Wither Storm on track, so build, build, build!"

The groups split up as according to plan. Jane was sure to tell Reuben to find whatever shelter he could. She did not want the Wither Storm to take his life.

The twins began dodging the slithering tentacles of the monster as it crushed the ground with each slam.

"Hurry!" Jesse shouted as he placed down the crafting table. Jane was quick to set down the Super TNT in the center while Jesse surrounded it with gunpowder. Watching the construction bind together, it created the explosive weapon they desired.

"I hope this works!" Jane shouted over the sound of wind and thunder before biting her lower lip.

Jesse nodded, "Me too!"

Grabbing both sides of the Formidi-Bomb, they felt the tractor beam pull them up, raising them high in the sky. The Wither Storm grew more ferocious, whipping it's tentacles at Magnus and Ellegaard enough to knock the air from their lungs. The stakes grew higher. The twins threw the bomb into the mouth of the storm before the group below hooked them with fishing rods to prevent the Wither Storm from eating them. After making it safely to the ground, everyone watched in growing anticipation. Then it went off. The bomb. It was as if time and space for one second had stopped, and then a blinding flash and unbearably loud crack exploded around them, pushing them all to the ground, rendering the group nearly unconscious. When they had opened their eyes again, the Wither Storm lay motionless in three pieces on the ground.

"I-Is that it...?" Axel muttered as he tried to stand up, "Is it over?"

Olivia exhaled deeply, "I can't believe it's... actually dead!"

"You guys did it!" Lukas cheered, enveloping the twins in a hug, "You actually did it."

Jane winked at him, "No. We all did it." Reuben afterwards was quick to leave his hiding place and enter his owner's arms. As quick as their hopes had risen, it only came back to drop to the pit of their stomachs at the sight of Soren next to a dying Magnus and Ellegaard.

"You... you fought valiantly, my friends." Soren spoke with a shaky voice to the two that lay dying in his arms.

"I never... expected the fight to go... this way." Magnus gasped out as he bled profusely.

"You and I both k-know... our fight is over." Ellegaard breathed out as her body was enveloped with fatal cuts and bruises.

"Stuff and nonsense... stuff and nonsense!" Soren denied with a quick shake of his head as he fought back tears, "Both of you, save your strength. We'll get through this. W-We'll take care of you!"

Jesse couldn't believe what he was seeing, but Jane was distraught. Tears flowed endlessly down her cheeks. She felt as if she was reliving a moment of her past she couldn't recall. Yet it terrified her.

"Jane..." Ellegaard forced out through the pain, "My armor... r-really suits you. Keep it, okay?"

Jane nodded while kneeling down before breaking down into audible sobbing. The red and gold armor she wore would only become a painful memory.

"I knew it..." She cried, "I knew you would be vulnerable without your armor. I-It's all my fault!"

"Hey... kid... don't beat yourself up." Magnus added in weakly, "Your brother... will safely g-guard my armor. I-It's for true heroes... like you..."

"Well Magnus..." Ellegaard cried silently, relishing the last few seconds of her life left, "At least we got to be r-real heroes... right?"

Magnus nodded, smiling with satisfaction painfully.

"See you on the other side... Elle..." He gasped out, reaching shakily to take her hand in his until death took them.

Jesse knelt next to his sister before taking her into his arms, letting her cry every painful tear. He felt the exact hurt that squeezed in her chest and burned in her lungs, yet he tried not to show it. He wanted to be strong. He had to be strong. Petra, despite her still weak condition, smiled to try and brighten up the sad mood. Jesse frowned. Petra's sickness still did not dissipate. Audible groaning met their ears, startling them all, until they turned around to see the people stumbling out of the dead Wither Storm. They were alive! The group ran to help people who would be injured in any way. The twins and Reuben were the only ones to make sure no one was still stuck inside the monster.

"H-Help!" They heard a weak voice suddenly shout, and they followed it, hurrying to see who it was. Pinned underneath a lifeless tentacle was someone they never thought they would see again. Ellegaard's niece. Zoe. Jesse was quick to lift off the tentacle before Jane knelt down to envelope the girl in a sweet hug.

"I... I thought I was gonna die..." Zoe cried into Jane's shoulder as the young woman tried to comfort her, "I was so scared!"

"It's alright, you're fine now." Jane soothed, attempting to calm down the frightened girl, "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Zoe pulled away from the hug slowly, "No... not really. My arm just feels a little bruised. I'm hungry."

Jesse laughed, "I'm sure you are."

After helping the teenage girl to stand up, a moment of silence lingered before Zoe asked,

"Where's Aunt Elle?"

Tears sprang back to Jane's eyes as she almost wished she didn't have to answer,

"Your Aunt... she's... She didn't make it."

"No..." Zoe shook her head, "That's not true. You're lying, it's a lie!" She ran away from the dead monster over to where Soren still sat, and there she saw for herself the only one that ever continued to love her. Her Aunt Ellegaard. Lifeless. Dead.

As the faint sound of Zoe's cries could be heard, Jesse turned to noticed the command block still in contact without even a scratch. He frowned,

"Jane, I thought Soren's Formidi-Bomb would destroy this thing."

"It was supposed to..." She replied in confusion, "This is impossible! I don't understand."

Everything suddenly began to feel strange, as if gravity had lessened for a minute. The command block sprang to life, ingesting itself into the monster, reviving it. As it rose high into the sky, that's when they saw the Wither Storm had split into three separate storms. In fright they all ran, including Zoe. But the twins stopped in their tracks as a man stood beside them. He was one they recognized.

"Gabriel!" Jesse shouted in excitement and shock. The man turned around to see them with a blank look on his face. He opened his mouth and asked,

"W-Who's... Gabriel...?"


	17. Chapter 16: Retreat

"Where... where am I?!" Gabriel gasped as he frantically looked around himself. The twins were still trying to get him to follow them amongst the crowd of screaming people as they tried to get away from the monster once more, "What's going on?!"

"There's no time to explain except that we have to leave NOW!" Jesse shouted, grabbing Gabriel's arm, only frightening the poor man even more.

"Who are you?!" The warrior demanded.

Without answering, the twins grabbed his arm and ran, pulling him along towards the anxious group with Reuben staying close to Jane. Everyone was astounded that Gabriel was alive, although he acted quite strange. They moved quickly, trying to get out of the tractor beam range as best they could. As they continued to run, the now three Wither Storms followed them further. Endermen began to suddenly teleport into existence on the overworld, marching towards the giant monsters, now with nine hungry heads in total.

"Those Endermen are running the wrong way! They'll be killed!" Soren cried, stopping the group, "We cannot just stand by and watch! We'd be condemning them to death! These Endermen are running directly into danger."

"You're putting US in danger every second you just stand there!" Jesse yelled, frustration clearly showing on his face, "Now get moving!"

Jane turned around to notice a very weak Petra leaning on Axel like a crutch. The redhead's eyes almost wanted to roll into the back of their sockets.

"Guys, you need to move faster!" Jane called out to them, only seeing the monsters in the sky approaching towards her friends.

"She's too sick, this is the best we can do!" Axel answered with a more than concerned tone.

"They're not gonna be able to outrun it. Not on foot." Lukas panted as he ran up beside Jane, almost asking her if she was okay by the look in his eyes, "LOOK OUT!" He screamed, grabbing Jane and pulling her out of the way as an entire tree came crashing through the air.

"Protecting Jane is my job!" Jesse firmly stated, making Lukas give a dirty look in return.

They ran further, eventually realizing they could run no longer. Coming across some horses, they jumped on them and began to ride, galloping down the biome that was falling apart. Gabriel came along, although he was panicking and saying things out of the ordinary. The Wither Storms followed them through the crumbling valley, but the group eventually made it far enough to hide out for awhile once the sun had set. It was in a cave in the mountains.

"We actually freaking made it!" Axel cheered once they were all nestled in the cave. The horses were even brought inside as well.

"Jesse..." Lukas spoke softly, ignoring Axel, "Gabriel was saying some pretty weird stuff back there. I would say he has Wither Sickness, but he's not weak or anything. He's just... he doesn't remember anything."

"I guess the symptoms vary." Olivia stated, "In this case, the sickness is only attacking his brain. He doesn't seem to remember anything."

"I am afraid I don't feel much like myself at the moment." Gabriel spoke, walking into their group, "I remember now that my name is Gabriel... but nothing more."

"It really is you!" Soren cheered as he ran up to his old friend, finally getting a moment to actually cherish what was happening.

Gabriel's brow furrowed, "Who are you?"

"It's me, Soren." The Order's leader became deeply saddened, "Old friend... don't you recognize me...?"

"You!" Gabriel shouted suddenly, pointing to the twins without answering Soren, "You're the ones who rescued me! Please, what is going on? I remember only blackness... Then, suddenly, you two were there."

Jane placed a hand on the warrior's shoulder, "You were caught in the Wither Storm. Trapped. Long enough that it... did this to you. At least you made it." Tears sprang to her eyes, yet she flung them away. She only wanted this torment and catastrophe to end. She didn't know how much longer she, her brother or anyone else could take.

"How? How could this have happened?!" Soren shouted. His frustrated voice echoed through the cave, "To lose not just friends... but members of the Order of the Stone. Aaagh! Being emotional is getting us nowhere! What I want to know is, what happened out there today? Why is that thing still alive?! My instructions were simple. Jesse, Jane, you two were in the middle of everything! What went wrong?!"

"You tell us!" Jesse snapped, crossing his arms.

Soren's eyes flared, "Excuse me?!"

"Well, you're the one who thought we could destroy the command block with a big old bomb."

"So the command block is still out there?! Well great! And to make matters worse, we've gone from one Wither Storm to three. Our plan was a total failure! Ugh... I need a moment to think." And with that, he stomped out of the cave.

"Whoa..." Petra moaned as she leaned against the cold stone wall, "I suddenly feel really dizzy." Jesse ran over to her side, taking her hand in his. "I'm still blaming myself for everything." Petra cried, tears finally pouring out of her eyes, "Ivor built the Wither, sure... b-but he couldn't have done it without that skull I gave him. If I'd just taken a second to think about it... But all I cared about was getting that stupid diamond. I guess the sickness is my punishment."

"You need to stop blaming yourself!" Jesse gently scolded, "This isn't all on you, and you know it." He pushed some loose hair out of her face, finally gathering up the courage to kiss her on the forehead that felt strangely cold. In the sweet, quiet moment, Jane took the opportunity to sneak away from her brother. Walking to the entrance of the cave, she found Lukas gathering his supplies together, packing them on one of the horses.

"What are you doing?" She asked, shocked that anyone would go out again in the conditions that were set.

"I'm going after my friends." He stated, the moonlight shining on his angelic blonde hair, "Gabriel survived, and if there's a chance that my friends, the Ocelot members made it out of the storm with the other people, I need to go look for them. Look..." He put his hands on her shoulders, looking her deeply in the eyes, "I am grateful to you guys for bringing me this far, but I can't leave my friends alone out there. Not with three Wither Storms raging."

"And what if you're wrong?!" Jane whisper yelled, taking a step closer to him, "What if they're not out there and you don't make it back alive?!"

"I've got to try, Jane. Otherwise I just couldn't live with myself. Trust me, you won't even miss me."

"Yes I will." Jane breathed out, pecking a soft kiss on his cheek before they pulled each other into a hug, "Be safe out there." She whispered in his ear.

He pulled away smiling, "I will." That's when he mounted the horse and rode off. Jane watched him ride out into the distance. It felt so much like watching a loved one go out to war, knowing they might never come back. Reuben trotted up beside her, nuzzling into her leg. She scooped him up and kissed him on the head. For some strange reason, she felt like she truly was going to lose a loved one, just like she feared.


	18. Chapter 17: Go the Distance

The dead of night still clung to the atmosphere while flurries of snow fell. All was quiet, despite the distant roaring thunder from the Wither Storms. It felt as if every element of the world had been silenced from fear. Jane stood outside of the cave in the cool night air, cradling little Reuben in her arms. Her mind was in a whirl, and her stomach was in knots. She no longer wanted this adventure to go on. She wanted it to end. Petra was on the brink of death, Lukas was gone, and portions of the world had been devoured. She missed their old life in the treehouse. Everything was cozy and simple. Jesse, of course, always longed for adventure, but she was fine just where they were. Now it was all gone. They were never going back.

"There you are!" Jesse breathed out as he ran through the entrance of the cave, seeing his sister standing near the edge of the mountain they were secured on, "I was beginning to feel worried when I didn't see you in there with us." Jane only shrugged and didn't respond, causing her brother to playfully yank on one of her now messy braids.

"I'm sorry I'm not myself." Jane mumbled after forcing a smile.

Jesse frowned, "Sis, you don't have to be sorry for anything. This situation is... beyond dire. It's even beyond anything I could've ever imagined."

"Beyond life itself... It all feels like a nightmare sometimes. But when I don't wake up, that's when I remember it's reality. And it hurts."

Jesse put his arm around Jane in comfort, "As long as we stay together, everything will be alright. I've promised you that from the start. Although the Order never exactly turned out to be what we imagined, at least they're warriors and we have them on our side. But you... you're the bravest of them all, including us. You are going to do wonderful things for this world and the people."

Jane smiled, leaning onto her brother's shoulder, "Thanks, Jess. I can always count on you to make me feel better. But don't exclude yourself. You're a warrior too. A champion."

Reuben squealed in Jane's embrace, seemingly agreeing with what was being said. Jesse smiled, patting the little pig on the head before speaking again,

"The world needs us. All of us. So much of it has already been reduced to bedrock... and it's up to us to save the rest of it. Maybe that is a lot of pressure for just two people and a pig with their friends, but we have to find a way."

Sudden aggressive speaking met their ears from the far side of the cave. The twins, and Reuben with them, cautiously meandered over to see Soren and Ivor arguing intensly. The twins were shocked seeing that Ivor had found them. It was unclear what the men were talking about, but it was quite unpleasant.

"Soren, you need to listen to me!" Ivor shouted at the man in front of him.

"Oh, what good has ever come of that?!" Soren snapped in return, crossing his arms furiously.

Jesse stepped out of the shadows, speaking and revealing that he and his sister were listening,

"Haven't you done enough, Ivor? Like, say, single-handedly destroying the entire world?"

Ivor's eyes narrowed, "Well, technically, I set in motion a series of events whose end result appears to be-"

"It's the same thing!" Jane interrupted, and Reuben oinked angrily at the man.

Ivor seemed baffled and he turned away, continuing to speak and trying to be genuine,

"What you don't understand is, you are all in very grave danger. And I mean specifically this group! The Wither Storm isn't acting randomly. It's following Gabriel. You see I... may have programmed it to follow his amulet." Ivor was sheepish to admit that as he turned around to face them again.

"Did you also know I was the one he gave the amulet to?!" Jesse asked furiously, not regretting the punch he gave Ivor that one time in the Nether.

"I... I didn't know!" Ivor cried, putting his hands up in defense.

"You fool!" Soren shouted at the Order's fifth member, "You've created a monster that's following Jesse, and it's only getting stronger!"

"You don't think I realize that?! Nothing can stop those things. Nothing even hurts them!"

"Except maybe Endermen." Jane suggested passively, "They move blocks, and I almost could've sworn I saw them tearing off some from the monster itself when we were running away. They were extracted by the tractor beam. It slowed the Wither Storm down, and that's how we got away!"

"Enough of them working together might be able to destroy a Wither Storm entirely. We'd simply need to get a large group of them into the Storm's vicinity!" Soren announced with sudden glee, "In fact, there's probably more than enough of them still in my fortress."

"This is just like the old days, Soren. You and your crazy ideas!" Ivor growled.

"Hush, Ivor, for once!" Soren collected his composure, "The question is how to bring the storms and the Endermen together."

"We know for a fact the Wither Storms will follow the amulet." Jesse replied, "So if we take the amulet back to where the Enderman will be-"

"Yes, yes that's it!" The builder cheered with joy, "We'll lead them straight into a massive trap!"

"Just one problem." Ivor added in, "You're forgetting about the command block."

"Ah, yes." Soren sighed sadly, "It's clear now that no weapon can destroy it. Not even a Formidi-Bomb."

"Actually, I may have a solution to that. You see, when I first took possession of the command block, I created a fail safe. An enchanting book. One that contains the power of the command block itself! Use it to enchant a weapon, and you'll be able to smash the command block to bits. Forever. There's just one problem. It's at my secret lab which is sort of very far away. Let's just say it's the farthest place a person can travel before being utterly-"

A loud roar interrupted Ivor, making all their heads turn to look out over the mountains and see the Wither Storms were much closer than before. They ran back to the entrance of the cave, seeing that everyone had walked out to see the monsters.

"I can't believe it found us so quickly." Petra croaked out with little to no strength.

"It just keeps coming for us!" Axel exclaimed in frustration.

Olivia equally announced, "We just can't sit around and wait for it!" The comments of exhaustion and anger kept on coming. Gabriel had no words at all. The terrified expression on his face said more than enough. Would the chaos ever stop? The twins explained everything with heavy hearts. The Wither Storms were following the amulet. Everyone was exhausted and torn down. Just hearing they would have to travel far to Ivor's lab only lowered their hopes, if there were any left. They had to leave, but part of them didn't even want to. They hardly had any strength or will left in them to go on. But if they thought of the hundreds of other helpless people in the world, it gave them the motivation needed. Surely they could do it. Together they would. After Axel made up his mind to be the one to take the amulet to Soren's fortress, the rest of the group left for the Far Lands. The place Ivor's lab rested. It was deep and desolate there, and knowing they were leaving without Axel only made it worse! The moments passed by too quickly to even process, it almost hurt. How much farther would they have to travel? How much longer till the light and life in them gave out?


	19. Chapter 18: Vision in the Swamp

The entire group sat mounted atop of horses, ready to part ways with Axel and begin their final opposite journeys in saving the world. Although Petra wanted to participate in the adventure, Jesse made her stay at the cave where she would be safe. After heartfelt temporary goodbyes, they all prepared to head out into the great unknown. Jane was quiet, despite all that Jesse and Reuben did to try and cheer her up. So many things seemed to be on her mind.

"Zoe..." She suddenly mumbled just before they were ready to ride off, "Zoe's not with us. She never followed us to the cave!"

Jesse's expression deeply saddened. In the midst of all the chaos and anxiety, the teenage niece of Ellegaard had not made it with them.

"She... she has to be alright." Jesse reassured shakily, "A lot of other people made it. She's a feisty thing, I'm sure she's more than alright."

"I just... I can't believe I never realized until now. I... I'm hating myself for it."

Jesse reached over to pat her on the shoulder, "Don't. Please."

Saying farewell to Axel once more, the group rode off, traveling far and wide towards the Far Lands. A place Soren claimed marked the edge of the world. He also said during the journey that it was a place where logic gave way to chaos. They rode on their horses through many biomes, taking nearly a week. It was an existent worry that they would not arrive in time to stop the Wither Storm. On the sixth day of travel, they stopped in a swamp biome feeling weak, tired and hungry. The twins decided to look for some food for the group that waited behind. They found some potatoes growing nearby, but the distant cackles of a witch and other mobs were enough to allow fear to grip them. The swamp water was filled with marsh and algae, feeling cold and slimy to the touch. The fog made it difficult to navigate through the plant overgrowth and hanging spider webs in the low tree branches.

"Seems like we've been traveling for an eternity, huh?" Jesse asked his sister playfully, trying to hide his surfacing anxiety.

Jane nodded, "At least we've come this far. Strangely enough, I barely remember much of the journey it took to make it to the swamp in this past week. I guess my mind has just been... distant."

"Mine too. I try to be strong."

"And you're doing a perfect job at it!" Jane encouraged with a smile, "Only I would be able to tell when you're nervous. I am your twin sister after all."

Jesse chuckled, shaking his head at how right she was.

After meandering through the swamp further, the sound of cicadas, crickets and the sloshing of water was all they heard. They could barely even see where the sun was through the fog, but it appeared to be near noon. When all seemed to be rendering to peace, a distant cry met Jane's ears. She stopped in her tracks at the sudden sound of it, confusing Jesse. Waiting to hear it again, she did. It sounded like the wail of a small child.

"Did you hear that?!" Jane muttered under her breath.

Jesse was confused, "Hear what? I didn't hear anything."

Jane didn't answer him. She waited to hear it again, but didn't this time. She stammered, "U-Um... how about we split up. We'll cover more ground. I-I'll meet you back here in a few minutes." Not even waiting for her brother's reply, she walked off through the muddy swamp, looking for any other signs of life.

The swamp grew even more dense the further she walked, and the sky seemed to grow dark. Then she heard it. The screams and cries of what appeared to be for help.

"Where are you?!" Jane called out, hoping to find the seemingly helpless child. The sobs echoed through the trees as Jane began to run towards them, wondering what even was going on. Her chest felt tight and her legs burned, along with her lungs. Then she saw her. The child. A little girl, who looked to be no older than seven, with strawberry blonde hair, curled up against a tree, was sobbing into her little scuffed up hands. Jane's facial expression twisted into that of compassion and deep sadness as she knelt down next to the little girl.

"Sweetheart, what's the matter?" She asked as she placed her right hand gently on the child's shoulder.

"Don't let them take me!" The little girl whimpered, refusing to look up. Jane was confused, she barely knew how to respond except to ask who she was talking about. Without saying another word, the child finally looked up into her eyes, and they both locked. Jane felt as if time and space had stopped, as she was looking into the same brown eyes she herself possessed. It was almost as if she was looking at her younger self, although it wasn't. The innocent brown eyes of the girl were laced with crystal clear tears that flowed down her rosy cheeks, and she seemed to be begging for help with just a pleading look. Jane held her hand out, hoping the child would take it, and she did. But in that second, the girl vanished as all of Jane's surroundings suddenly darkened to a void. The only thing left behind of the little girl was her screams of "Mommy!" that rang in Jane's ears, along with someone whispering "My champion..." to add to the frightening confusion.

"Jane!"

The sound of Jesse's voice snapped her out of all that was happening. Jane looked around herself. Her surroundings were no longer blackened, and she was standing in the swampy water. It was merely a daydream. It wasn't real. None of it was real.

"Would you mind explaining what happened?" Her twin brother asked in worry, only to receive a silent response. Jane didn't even know what happened. She could only let Jesse drag her back to the waiting group with him as the sound of a witch and skeletons began to approach through the brush.

"Did you find any food?" Olivia was the first to ask once the twins had arrived back.

"Actually yeah, some potatoes, but it'll have to wait!" Jesse whisper stressed, "There's a witch nearby! We saw her creeping through the swamp and-"

The sound of loud cackling and the splash of a weakness potion crashed near them, compelling them back to the fear that just begged to surface.

"She's here!" Soren panicked. The witch only laughed, wearing her crooked pointed hat and purple robes. Jane pulled out her bow and arrow, shooting the witch in the shoulder as Jesse was quick to finish her off with a sword. It, however, did not end there. Swarms of mobs came storming through, as if to avenge the death of the swamp witch.

"We'll all be killed!" Soren moaned with little to no hope as he hid behind a tree.

"Everyone, this could be a really nasty fight." Jesse warned, wiping the witches remains off of his sword.

"The rest of you go!" Ivor commanded in a tone that did not wish to argue, "I'll hold them off. Just head for the corner of the glitch wall. You'll know it when you see it!"

As Ivor began to throw his own potions at the monsters, the group reluctantly ran off back to the horses, obeying Ivor's wishes. Although they never had cared for him much, deep down, they still hoped he would survive. Gabriel seemed to be in more of a panic than anyone else was. They rode off for at least another hour, eventually having to leave the horses behind somewhere, as they were too tired to continue. They would be fetched for the ride home. But when the group thought they could walk no longer, they saw it. The glitch wall.


	20. Chapter 19: The Far Lands

"Welcome to the Far Lands, my friends." Soren proudly announced, speaking as if he had been to the place before. He very well may have. They walked up to the glitch wall that seemed to stretch miles high. It looked as if some giant entity had reached down and stretched up a portion of the ground, leaving only crevices to walk through and make it to the other side of the wall, if even possible. Blocks were placed in strange and unwanted positions, some waterfalls went up instead of down, and there were even trees made of stone. Logic did indeed give way to chaos in the Far Lands. The group decided to approach the large wall, seeing there was a hollowed entrance that seemed to have been carved through. It served as the perfect way in.

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" Soren asked the twins as they walked.

Jesse nodded, "It's breathtaking. I'm speechless!"

"What really caused this?" Jane asked, hardly believing it was by chance. Although it seemed like a chaotic mess at first glance, it became more articulate the closer they got.

"This is a natural phenomenon, the intersection of two of the great walls that form the boundary of our world." Soren replied, "Very few have seen it in person."

Jesse chuckled, "Ivor really went out of his way to make sure he'd never have visitors, huh?"

"He was always secretive. It was both his weakness and his strength. Whatever Ivor's hiding in here, it will be extremely well-guarded."

"I'd feel better about this if the rest of our group was with us..." Olivia mumbled to Gabriel before they all walked through the dim tunnel which they suspected led to Ivor's laboratory. When Soren suspected a well-guarded territory, his suspicions were correct. There was a large, stone maze guarding the entrance and it crawled with mobs. Jesse and Jane were the first two to make it out of the other side of the maze, along with Reuben resting in Jane's arms, bringing comfort to his loving owner. The maze's exit stopped on a ledge with a weird contraption sitting on the grass. A large, seemingly bottomless chasm rested between where they stood and where the lab rested. The contraption appeared to be what could get them across, but it was all in shambles. Sticky pistons and slime blocks lay in a messy heap. Reuben grunted at its untidiness.

"Jesse? Jane?!" The faint sound of Olivia's voice approached through the maze, and she finally ran out the exit to see them standing near the piece of machinery, "I thought I'd never find you! No sign of the others. We all split up, but they should come through soon. This maze... honestly, we don't have time for this!"

"Let's worry about getting across the chasm." Jane replied, gently setting Reuben down on the soft grass.

"Could this thing get us across?" Jesse asked, pointing to the odd contraption beside them.

"Hmm..." Olivia pondered, beginning to examine the machine, "It's some kind of flying barge. It would probably get us to the other side, but it's in really bad shape. And it's really complicated! I could try and fix it, but then I don't know. I think it's out of my league. I wish I'd had more time to study with Ellegaard... This layout doesn't even make any sense. What was Ivor thinking?! Or... maybe it's just me. I mean, I can bet you that not even Ellegaard believed I had what it takes to be a great engineer, because I don't!"

Reuben oinked sadly, curling up beside Olivia to look into her eyes. It seemed to give her an odd strength and she could almost hear in her head, "Believe in yourself, because I do."

"Reuben believes you. We all do!" Jane added in, knowing that the little piglet was trying to provide what encouragement he could.

"But..." Olivia heaved a sigh, "Ellegaard was the greatest redstone engineer ever. She was in the Order of the Stone!"

Jesse shrugged, "Sure, but the Order are still people, just like us."

"Right. Just like us. I mean, how are we the ones saving the world when even they don't have what it takes? Soren and Ivor seem to always be at each other's throats, the 'greatest warrior in history' doesn't remember his own name half the time, and we both know what happened to Magnus and Ellegaard. If the Order can't do this, how are we supposed to?"

"All I know is, the world is depending on us." Jesse replied with a newfound confidence that Jane knew she currently didn't share with him.

"Then maybe the world is in trouble. The Order defeated an Ender Dragon. Can you name even one thing we've done right?!"

Jane's expression saddened at the words of her friend, "We have been there for each other. We were and are all in this chaos together. We protected one another! This whole thing has been a group effort."

Olivia was silent for a moment, pondering the twins' words until she finally exclaimed, "Alright, I'll try it!"

The young engineer went right at work, finally seeing what needed to be added to the incompleted barge. After adding a missing sticky piston and redstone block, the machine came to life, just in time for Soren and Gabriel to run through the maze exit and join them. Despite the hoard of zombies that were chasing the two Order members, they all hopped in the flying barge and rose over the chasm to Ivor's lab, all the while Gabriel made fun of Soren and his fear of heights. At the sight of the lab (which looked more like a cottage), it was clear Ivor had constructed it using a command block, as some of the building was lined with bedrock. A very unmineable substance that rested at the bottom of the world. As soon as they had walked in, the room looked like the basement of the Endercon stadium, or the enchantment room in the Order's Temple. It was always such an oddly breathtaking layout.

"So many books..." Gabriel breathed out in awe as he examined the bookshelves. Most were potion guides, but some were beautiful fantasy novels, including one called "Locked Up Melancholy". It seemed rather strange, but it held many pages. Deciding to move on from the bookshelf examination, the group decided to look for the enchanting book Ivor had promised them. Coming across a secret entrance hidden behind a flowing lava fireplace in the room, a door opened with the flick of a lever, leading them to a set of stairs that led down to a darkened room. Only Soren, the twins and Reuben had time to make it through, as the door closed before Olivia or Gabriel had time to make it.

"The lever won't work anymore!" Olivia shouted through the closed stone doors, "We'll wait here for you!"

That's when the four of them left down the dark stairway, waiting to discover what lay ahead. Little did they know, they would discover something much more than just an enchantment book.


	21. Chapter 20: Truth and Lies

The room at the foot of the stairs was dimly lit, but wide and beautiful. It was filled with treasures the twins, along with Reuben, had never seen before, and the memories flooded Soren's mind at the sight of it all.

"What is all this?" Jesse asked with great curiosity as he examined the sea lantern and prismarine shard. Jane was particularly interested in the Ghast tear and dragon egg.

"These are the treasures of the Order of the Stone!" Soren exclaimed with glee, "Ah, the stories I could tell about these dusty old things."

"Then please, tell us!" Jane pleaded with a smile on her face. Reuben squealed in agreement. Although time was of the essence, it would help to calm their spirits so they could think properly.

"Well, alright." Soren gave in, going to each treasure and telling their story, "The Ghast tear came from our first official mission as the Order of the Stone. We fought those Ghasts for hours, and these tears were our reward. Our next treasure, the sea lantern, is the very same one we built all those years ago, but we couldn't have done it without the prismarine shards, which we collected near a sea temple." Jane's expression saddened as she remembered the fate of Zoe's deceased parents. Soren continued, "This chunk of packed ice was brought here from the Ice Plains Spikes biome. It was colder there than anywhere we'd ever been. But Magnus slipped so many times, our laughter kept us warm. After that, we knew we were ready to face the Ender Dragon, and so lies this egg, which is contained so it may never hatch. Alas... it is the only thing that remains of our final adventure together."

After hearing the story, the group decided to move on, walking through a pair of iron doors leading to another room. It was majestically built, and a statue of the Ender Dragon lay glaring down at them.

"It all appears to be an homage to our battle with the Ender Dragon." Soren breathed out in shock, "Ah, if only you'd been there. It was a fight for the ages! We'd spent weeks preparing for our greatest battle ever. But even so, the Ender Dragon was stronger than even I had imagined. I realized that it was drawing strength from the Ender Crystals that lied at the top of the guarding obsidian towers. I knew the crystals had to be destroyed. I hit the first with a perfectly placed arrow. The second, I destroyed by launching myself on the shockwave of Magnus' TNT. Using only my strength, and my wiles, I steered the foul beast toward the third crystal. After Ellegaard had used a brilliant machine to target the dragon with arrows, I flew the dragon directly toward the final crystal! Only then did Gabriel deliver his famous final blow. We became heroes, and eventually, legends."

The twins and piglet were surprised at the sudden story, although greatly amazed. The Order of the Stone really were as magnificent as they first thought!

Coming across a series of codes and buttons to unlock the next pair of iron doors, they slowly made it through to the next room that seemed to have an odd, purple glow. Inside, however, lay the Enchanting Book. They could see the aura of power surrounding the book, and waves of a warm sensation radiated off of the pages. Finally studying the rest of the room, lying behind where the book sat on a table of quartz were four Ender Crystals.

"Wait..." Jane mumbled under her breath as a burning confusion rose, "Soren, you told us those were destroyed!"

"No... i-it can't be." Soren stammered. A moment of silence lingered before he burst out, startling Reuben, "He kept them... The fool actually kept them! He looked me in the eye and swore he was going to dispose of them!"

"Soren, you said destroying these crystals were the key to defeating the Ender Dragon." Jesse stated, feeling skeptical, "You did kill the dragon... right?"

Soren became very nervous, "Jesse, Jane, this isn't... t-this isn't what it looks like! Our story, the story, it's mostly true, I swear! I swear it!"

"What really happened?!" Jane snapped, finally seeing right through the man's lies.

"But we swore to never speak of it!"

"Start. Talking." It was no time for games anymore.

"I..." Tears seemed to barely fill Soren's eyes, "W-We did defeat the Ender Dragon. But it wasn't... exactly like I said. We got rid of it, but we didn't kill it, per se. In fact, we didn't even fight it. We didn't even try... We didn't do anything! We used that blasted command block!"

Jesse grew furious, "You used the command block to defeat the Ender Dragon?!"

"I'm afraid so." Soren cried, and even Reuben's glares seemed to burn through him, "Understand, when I found that blasted block, we were nobodies. But with its help, we became stronger. Faster. We could do so much more! The others had no idea what I was doing, yet the more I used it, the more we came to depend on it. I knew it was only so long before someone would find out. So, I concocted a plan. I would use the command block to blink the Ender Dragon out of existence, securing our status as legends... forever. We told the world we defeated a dragon. And the rest... is history."

"Soren..." Jane began, trying to find the right words, "I looked up to you. The whole world did!"

The look of sadness that spread across the Order member's face was unforgettable, "No one is more ashamed than me."

"So you finally admit it." Someone hissed from behind them as they entered the room. It was Ivor, and Gabriel along with Olivia were following him into the room.

"Soren... how could you?" Olivia asked as if all of her dreams she ever dreamed had been crushed.

"How long have you guys been standing there?" Jesse asked in utter surprise.

Ivor scowled, "Long enough that they heard the whole thing."

Gabriel's eyes met the floor, "So we're liars? All of us?"

"You didn't think you could keep it a secret forever, did you, Soren?!" Ivor growled, "The truth hurts, doesn't it?! This is why I left the Order. Because you all lied! Soren, Gabriel, Magnus, Ellegaard... they all agreed to keep this a secret."

"And you!" Soren snapped at the man targeting him, "You agreed to stay quiet, too, in exchange for all of our treasures!"

"I've technically never told anybody. Jesse and his sister discovered the truth on their own!"

"That's why you built the Wither Storm." Jane suddenly muttered in realization, "It was to teach the Order a lesson."

Ivor's eyes narrowed, "To teach the world a lesson! To show you who the Order really are. Liars. Cowards. And now, you all know!"

"You're a madman, Ivor!" Jesse shouted, not willing to take anyone else's side but his own, "In all your scheming to expose the Order, you've nearly destroyed the known world!"

"Look. My Wither plan obviously backfired."

"You think?!" Jane exclaimed, feeling exasperated.

"I didn't know we'd end up with three of those things tearing the world apart!"

"Which brings us back to why we're here." Jesse reminded, crossing his arms over his tattered shirt, "We need to destroy that command block now!"

Without a word, Ivor snatched up the Enchantment Book, ready to help them create the needed weapon, just before Soren muttered,

"I'm sorry. About everything."

"Yes well, it doesn't matter now." Was all Ivor said in reply.

Taking them to his weaponry room, Ivor allowed the twins to construct an enchanted pickaxe, perfect for destroying the block that kept the three monsters alive. The tool glowed and almost vibrated in their hands. Jesse offered to be the one to carry the weapon, and Jane did not object. Reuben jumped into her arms, squealing with delight.

"Yes..." Ivor nodded, "That should do the job nicely. But if you're fighting those Wither monsters head on, you'll want better armor, too." He motioned to the row of enchanted armor on stands against the wall, "I enchanted these for the Order. They're about as strong as it comes. Even able to withstand TNT! Any preference?"

Jane hugged Ivor, shocking him greatly, but she spoke, "Thank you for helping us. And we forgive you."

Although Ivor expected himself to feel upset and defensive from her words, he felt... relieved, as if he needed to hear it. He nodded in thanks, trying to hide the surfacing emotions. After the twins had chosen their armor, even offering some to Gabriel and Olivia, the group was ready to head out. This would be it. The final battle that would truly decide the fate of the world.


	22. Chapter 21: Final Kill

This was it. They moment they had dreaded but hoped for at the same time. After traveling back to Soren's fortress from the Far Lands, the group looked up, seeing the three Wither Storms, devouring the remains of what was left. Despite Soren's whining, they could only hope that Axel was able to retrieve the needed Endermen from the End. As they looked after hopping off of the horses they rode on, they could see many Enderman pulling blocks off of the monsters.

"Shouldn't the Enderman have dismantled those things by now?" Gabriel asked, "Or am I just confused?"

Ivor furrowed his brows, "It's not just you. Something's wrong."

Indeed, something was wrong. Very wrong. The Wither Storm devoured blocks and grew quicker than the Endermen could work.

The sound of someone calling them met their ears, and they turned to see Axel approaching them with Petra, who struggled to walk with each step. Jane ran up to hug her sick friend, who collapsed in her arms and began to cry.

"I-I'm barely hanging on..." She sobbed, "I should've stayed in that cave."

Jesse came over to take Petra into his arms, trying to provide comfort to her aching body.

"I'm so happy you're alright." Jane told Axel after leaving Jesse and Petra to have their moment.

Axel smiled, "Same to you. Nice freaking armor, by the way." He examined the gold exterior of it, along with the shades of lapis blue. Jesse's was the same, except the colors on it were reversed.

Petra laid down in Jesse's arms, and her cold skin was a pure gray. Her breaths were labored, and tears escaped Jesse's eyes at the sight of her in such a state.

"You... you need to leave me here. G-Go and defeat... t-those monsters." Petra gasped.

"You need to come with us!" Jesse cried, "I am not leaving you behind. You can do this."

"No... I don't have much t-time left. Stop pretending e-everything's alright... because it's n-not. Just... do it... for me?"

Jesse let the tears flow down his cheeks as he pressed his forehead against Petra's, crying softly. No, he could not lose Petra. She was such a wonderful friend to both him and his sister. She couldn't die now. There was so much life left in her. He had promised he would find a cure. He... loved her. Deciding to finish where he had left off, he gently placed his lips on Petra's and they locked in a sweet, soothing kiss. Petra could no longer object. She did want this, and she believed it would be her last chance. The kiss lasted for a few seconds before they parted. Jesse made a promise he would destroy the Wither Storms and she would live. Leaving her laying on the soft grass, he wiped his tears and stood up, ready to leave with the rest of the group and kick some command block butt.

The group, after leaving Petra, ran over the flattened bedrock ground of what used to be Soren's fortress. They tried to think of a way they could work through this, but as they thought, Soren grew terrified and began to slowly take a few steps away from where they were standing. Gabriel had already run off from fright, leaving Ivor to chase after him.

"W-We shouldn't be here!" Soren whimpered, "None of this is going according to plan!"

"What are you doing?" Axel asked the frightened man as he watched him begin to walk away.

"I uh... I've really enjoyed meeting you all, but.." Without saying another word, Soren ran off, leaving everyone else in shock and anger.

"TRAITOR!" Jane yelled, feeling the burning hatred at his actions. How could anyone be such a fool?!

"Soren, you coward, I can't believe you!" Jesse shouted after his sister had done so. All they could do was forget about the fraud from the Order of the Stone.

Looking up at the main Wither Storm that held the command block, they could see an opening into its body that the Enderman had broke open. Deciding quickly to build a TNT launcher to blast the twins into the monster, the remaining group worked quickly.

"We'll help distract that Wither Storm!" Someone shouted from behind them and they turned, seeing Lukas and his Ocelot gang. Lukas enveloped Jane in a tight hug, seeming happy to be with her again. And after they broke away, another pair of arms wrapped around Jane. Zoe's.

"Thank God, you're okay!" Jane breathed out as her eyes glistened with tears of happiness.

Zoe nodded, "Lukas found me on my own and offered for me to stay with him. But no time for any more of this. You have world to save! Just know that I believe in you."

Jane smiled, looking over to see the TNT launcher had been completed. Both she and Jesse hopped in the minecart, waiting for Olivia to activate it. Just as Olivia flipped the switch, Reuben hopped in the cart with them.

"This is no place for a pig!" Jesse told him, just before all three of them were launched into the Wither Storm.

The inside was dark. They could hear the growls from outside as everything seemed to rotate. Withered, lifeless bodies lay crusted against the walls of the monster's interior, making everything smell foul. Walking through the giant body, stepping on squishy liquids they did not wish to identify, they finally saw it. The command block in all its glory. Jesse pulled out the enchanted pickaxe and hit the block as hard as he could. A large crack formed over it, and the monster seemed to howl in pain. Tentacles suddenly burst up from the hard flesh, whipping around to try and guard it's life source. Reuben squealed in fright as Jane held him close. She yelped at the sight of the tentacles and took a few steps back quickly as Jesse took guard.

"No matter what happens, we have to destroy that command block!" He yelled. Reuben leaped out of Jane's arms, doing what he could to draw the tentacles towards him and not his owners.

"Catch!" Jesse called to Jane as he threw the pickaxe. Lunging to catch it, she did, afterwards hitting the command block. One more hit had to be the last, but tentacles burst out, grabbing her and Jesse. She dropped the pickaxe in fright, leaving Reuben to be the only one to return it to one of them.

"This thing won't die!" Jesse gasped as the tentacle squeezed him like toothpaste. A large head grew on the inside, beginning to snap and try to bite at Jane. The tentacle wrapped around her, and Reuben was terrified at the sight.

"Reuben, remember how we used to play fetch?!" Jane called out to the little piglet, hoping he would grab and return the pickaxe they so desperately needed. The piglet narrowed his eyes, knowing what he had to do. He gripped the handle of the pickaxe between his teeth, dodging the flinging tentacles. He gave the weapon to Jesse, who was the closest.

"Good job, boy!" Jesse exclaimed, as Reuben helped him to get free. Just as the little pig seemed to smile, a tentacle whipped at him, hitting him down the hole they had entered through, disappearing down to the outside world.

"REUBEN, NO!" Jane shrieked as Jesse yelled in anger, ripping himself from the tentacle that still bound him. With one final hit on the command block, a blinding white light enveloped the twins, just as the Wither Storm deteriorated and died.


	23. Chapter 22: This is Our Life

The bright blue of the sky flooded Jesse's eyes, waking him up. He turned his aching head, seeing Jane laying down on the hard ground beside him. Citizens awakening from mid-death looked around themselves. The monsters were gone, along with the command block. They did it. This time, they really had won. The twins sat up as their friends gathered around. Petra ran into Jesse's arms and hugged him while whispering in his ear through tears, "I'm well!"

The Endermen had teleported away, looking for shade from the sun. Despite the world continuing to look a mess, at least the true danger had dissipated.

"Where's Reuben?!" Jane demanded, looking around frantically for him. Jesse, after scanning around with his eyes, finally spotted the curled up figure of the piglet. In a hurry, the twins and their friends ran up to his whimpering figure.

"Oh, baby..." Jane muttered through her falling tears as she stroked the hurting pig.

Jesse tried to be strong as he spoke to Reuben, "You're a hero. You know that? You just helped save the world."

The piglet seemed to understand by the oddly peaceful look in his eyes. The tears poured endlessly down Jane's cheeks, "R-Reuben... please... we need you. I-I can't... live without you."

With all the strength Reuben could gather, he reached up to lick Jane on the face as if to say, "I'll always be in your heart." Falling back down, feeling the weakness grow within him, Reuben gave one last final look. A look of love and peace. Just before the bitter taste of death took hold of the tiny hero. Reuben was gone.

Jane began to sob audibly in her brother's arms, and Jesse even shed a few tears himself. The sounds of saddened people, including their friends, crowded around them, but the twins didn't seem to notice. The world had been saved, but at what cost? Despite the pain, Reuben would indeed always be in their hearts, allowing them to spread the love he had given them to others. Although he could never express it in words, this was the little piglet's wish. This was what he wanted Jane and Jesse's lives to be.

One week later, as the twins had begun to found a new town for the stranded people that had escaped the Wither Storm, including Zoe, they all stood near Reuben's newly build memorial. All was amended. Gabriel received all of his memories, Soren had returned, and Ivor's heart had truly changed. Those who remained of the Order of the Stone, along with the twins, Petra, Lukas, Axel and Olivia, stood in front of a crowd of people during the founding ceremony. The crowd cheered for their heroes who had saved them all.

"People used to look at me like that once." Gabriel told the twins with a bittersweet look on his face, "Having my memory restored has been both a blessing and a curse. Perhaps... they deserve to know the truth about the Order."

Jesse nodded, "You're right. They do deserve to know."

Gabriel took a deep breath, preparing himself before he spoke in a loud voice to the crowd, "We all owe a great debt to Jesse, Jane and their friends. But I owe a debt to you people as well. Which is why... there is something I want to tell you. About the Order. The Order of the Stone is not what you all believed. We were... frauds. We used the Command Block to falsify our legacy. We were no heroes. So it is time for the world to celebrate new heroes! Real heroes! I give you, the New Order of the Stone!"

Although the crowd seemed surprised, they were happy and forgiving, including Zoe, who had built a new food machine, calling it the "AFMM". The Automatic Food Making Machine. Of course it was a second edition, but it was perfect, and she enjoyed handing out refreshments during the ceremony. The crowd continued to clap as the twins walked up to the front. Jesse began to speak,

"Thank you everyone! I know you think we're up here because we saved the world or something. But the truth is, Jane and I didn't do it alone. Far from it! I had my loving twin sister, who has been with me from the very start. We had our friends... and Reuben. Although he was just a pig, he was a hero, and an example to us all."

"It's crazy to think we all started out in a treehouse!" Jane continued, "And now, we've been to some of the weirdest places in the world. But when all was said and done, what really mattered was not only saving the world and everyone in it, it was Reuben as well. He... he was my little hero, and I'll never forget him. Despite that, we welcome you to this new town founded for you all. Beacontown!"

The crowd cheered as Jesse pulled out a black and purple nether star the Wither Storm had dropped after its death. He placed it down on the beacons behind them, lighting it all up to shine bright into the sky. The vibrant colors of the rainbow. The symbol of "promise". This town was a new beacon of hope.

As the twins looked down upon the smiling faces of the people and their friends, they knew that this was how they wanted their lives to be. And when Gabriel placed the Order's amulet down into their hands for the last time, they were more than convinced. And so it was that a new Order of the Stone was born. One whose adventures were only just beginning. For though the world had been saved, and the command block destroyed, there are many more worlds than just this one, continuing the adventure of their lives, and beyond...


End file.
